Dreaded Maoist Birbal Oraon in police net

A Maoist who was allegedly involved in the killing of five policemen and subversive activities ahead of the Lok Sabha polls was today arrested in Latehar district.

Birbal Oraon, the self-styled 'Deputy Section Commander' of the CPI (Maoist) operating in Latehar, was nabbed from a place in Latehar following a specific intelligence tip, Latehar police station officer-in-charge Ravikant Prasad told a press conference here.

During interrogation, Oraon had confessed to blowing up of two buildings housing a school and a health centre in April this year, Prasad said. Oraon was allegedly a part of a guerrilla squad that gunned down five policemen on July 29.

"Oraon also admitted that he had made an abortive attempt to target a police van when he fitted a 100-kg bomb under a culvert at Podialana on March 19, 2009," the police officer said.