Giridih Operation Seizes Naxal Leader Offering ₹25 Lakh Reward

A combined effort by Giridih police and the Central Reserve Police Force’s Cobra‑209 battalion resulted in the arrest of Ajay Mahato, a senior Naxal leader with a 2.5‑million‑rupee bounty on his head. The operation, launched after a tip-off on July 17, focused on the dense woods surrounding the Pipradih village in the Khukra police station’s jurisdiction. Mahato, also called “Mochu” and “Tiger”, is accused of orchestrating more than 240 criminal acts such as homicides, improvised explosive device attacks, assaults on security personnel and vandalism of government facilities across multiple districts. Since joining the insurgency in 2005, he has been responsible for extortion, procurement of weapons, and planning large‑scale violent actions in the Parshnanath, Saranda and Lugu hill zones. The police have registered 68 cases against him in Giridih, with additional charges pending in West Singhbhum, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Ramgarh and Saraikela. Officials say the raid deals a significant dent to the Maoist network and advances the state’s goal of a Naxal‑free Jharkhand.