2 of Maoist bomb squad arrested

ROURKELA: Two members of the Maoist bomb squad were arrested by Rourkela police late on Monday night from the area bordering Bisra police limits in Sundargarh district. Police said following intelligence inputs about movement of Maoists, search operations were carried out by the police, DVF and CRPF personnel in areas under Bisra police limits. Around 1.30 am, a jeep was found parked on the Bisra-Barsuan road.As security forces approached the vehicle, two persons ran towards the forest only to be nabbed after a chase. Two other occupants of the jeep were let off after verification of identity.Police said the two were coincidentally travelling in the vehicle but had no Maoist links.Rourkela SP Himanshu Lal identified the arrested as Birbal Gudia (23) and Chandradev Tirkey alias Charo, both members of the bomb squad under the Dakshin Chhota Nagpur Zonal Committee (DCNZC). The duo belonged to Tirilposh and Jareikela villages of West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.They confessed to their involvement in the explosion at Jareikela police outpost, Bisra Tehsil office and railway cabins at Bisra and Bondamunda on January 9 last year under the leadership of DCNZC secretary Anmol Hembram alias Samarjee.Police are verifying their involvement in a few more cases in Odisha and Jharkhand.