A self-styled Maoist zonal commander with a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head was arrested during a special operation in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Friday, police said. In addition to the Rs 10 lakh reward announced by the Jharkhand government for the arrest of Sitaram Rajwar, the Bihar government had declared a bounty of Rs 3 lakh. The 61-year-old Maoist, who was wanted in connection with 51 cases in Jharkhand, was arrested in Haidernagar based on intelligence inputs, SP Reeshma Ramesan said. Rajwar was involved in Maoist activities for the past 40 years and faced charges including murder, riots, extortion, and encounters with the police. He operated in Palamu district of Jharkhand and Aurangabad district of Bihar, police added. Rajwar's arrest was made possible due to leads provided by another arrested Maoist, Rajendra Singh, according to the SP. Originally from Haidernagar, Rajwar's parents moved to the bordering Aurangabad district of Bihar during his childhood. Ramesan said Rajwar was involved in an encounter in Mali, Aurangabad, in the early 2000s, in which a policeman was killed. Additionally, he took part in encounters in Kala Pahad, Palamu district, in 2016, which resulted in the deaths of seven policemen, and in another encounter in Chatarpur, Palamu district, about six years ago, which claimed the lives of four policemen.
