Misir Besra entered the Maoist movement in the mid-1980s, rose through the ranks over nearly four decades and played a key role in building the outfit's organisational and armed structure in Jharkhand. (File photo)Misir Besra, the only remaining senior Maoist leader operating in Jharkhand and a CPI (Maoist) politburo member carrying a Rs 1 crore bounty, was arrested on Tuesday near Dhanbad along with two other Maoists and two villagers, senior officials said.The other Maoists arrested are Tumba Manjhi, a regional committee member, and Biren Hansda, an area committee member of the CPI (Maoist).According to the police, acting on specific intelligence inputs, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit jointly planned and executed the operation after receiving information that Besra, 65, was present in the forested area straddling Dhanbad and Giridih districts.Also Read | Hunt for Misir Besra: He made a daring escape once, now last top Maoist standingSenior police officers said further details of the operation are expected to emerge after Besra’s interrogation, which is currently underway at a confidential location.The arrest comes a day after 16 CPI (Maoist) cadres, including a regional committee member, three zonal committee members, three sub-zonal committee members, six area committee members and three cadres, surrendered before the Jharkhand Police at the state police headquarters in Ranchi under the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy as part of Operation Navajeevan-II.The police had said the surrendered Maoists were active in the Kolhan-Saranda forests and Latehar district and were associated with the teams of Misir Besra and central committee member Asim Mandal.A native of Madnadih village in the Pirtand police station area of Giridih district, Besra, also known by the aliases Sunirmal, Bhaskar, Sagar and Pradhan, is among the organisation’s seniormost leaders. According to police records, he is a CPI (Maoist) Politburo member, Central Committee member, Central Military Commission member and Eastern Regional Bureau member.Story continues below this adThe police said Besra entered the Maoist movement in the mid-1980s, rose through the ranks over nearly four decades and played a key role in building the outfit’s organisational and armed structure in Jharkhand. In recent years, he was believed to be active mainly in the Kolhan and Saranda regions and, for the last few months, in the Parasnath hill area.Shubham Tigga is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, presently based in Pune, where he covers the intersections of infrastructure, labor, and the modern economy. His reporting focuses on civil aviation, urban mobility, the gig economy, and workers' unions, providing critical insights into how transit and commercial sectors impact the daily lives of citizens. Expertise & Background Before moving to Pune, he reported extensively from his home state of Chhattisgarh, where he focused on Indigenous (Adivasi) issues, environmental justice, and grassroots struggles in mainland India. This experience gives him a unique lens through which he analyzes the impact of large-scale infrastructure projects on local communities. Academic Foundation He is an alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), where he honed his skills in investigative reporting and ethical journalism. His academic training, combined with his field experience in Central India, allows him to navigate complex socio-economic landscapes with nuance and accuracy. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More