Palamu, Jan 13 (IANS): In a breakthrough, police in Jharkhand's Palamu have apprehended six criminals affiliated with gangster Sujit Sinha's gang and accused of orchestrating attacks on highway project sites in Jharkhand and Bihar and high-profile jail firing incidents in Chaibasa and Palamu.
The arrests were announced by Palamu Superintendent of Police, Reeshma Ramesan, during a press conference here on Monday. The police recovered two pistols, one magazine, 11 live cartridges, and 11 mobile phones from the apprehended persons.
The arrested criminals include Prince Kumar, resident of the NTPC police station area, Aurangabad, Bihar, Amit Kumar Sharma, hailing from the Kotwali police station area, Gaya, Bihar; Saurabh Singh, belonging to Manpur in Gaya district, Amit Kumar Chaudhary, resident of Bhawanathpur, Garhwa, Jharkhand, Dharmendra Kumar Pandey from Manjhiyawan in Garhwa, and Sameer Ansari, based in the Sadar police station area, Palamu.
These gang members have been actively involved in extortion activities, targeting businessmen across Jharkhand. They demanded hefty ransoms in the name of the Sujit Sinha gang, spreading fear among the local business community.
SP Ramesan disclosed that the criminals had confessed during interrogation to their involvement in the Bharatmala highway project attack in Aurangabad and other assaults on construction sites in Jharkhand.
One of the arrested individuals, Dharmendra Kumar Pandey, has a history of violence, including participation in the Palamu Central Jail firing (2007-08) and the Chaibasa Jail firing (2019).
Acting on specific input, a special police team conducted a raid and apprehended these criminals. The operation, led by Town Police Station in-charge Devvrat Poddar, included officers such as Sub Inspectors Tanjilul Manan, Rishikesh Dubey, and Sangeeta Kumari Jha, along with other personnel.
The arrests are a major achievement for law enforcement, disrupting the operations of the Sujit Sinha gang and curbing their influence in the region. Authorities believe the arrests will bring much-needed relief to local communities and businesses.