Gaya Police seize huge cache of Maoist arms

Gaya (Bihar), Feb.14 : A senior police officer in Bihar's Gaya District today confirmed the capture of a huge cache of arms and ammunition from Maoist rebels during an encounter with them on Wednesday.

Amit Kumar Jain, Superintendent of Police, Gaya, said: "We have recovered two regular police rifles, about 54 live rounds in a charger and magazines."

Jain said the Maoists had escaped from the site of the encounter, and a search was on for them.

The police party encountered the Maoists in Jhalar village, which lies on the Bihar-Jharkhand border.

In Bihar, 32 of its 38 districts are Naxalite affected. Gaya is notorious for its poverty and lawlessness, as also for the ongoing conflict between Naxalites and the Ranvir Sena, a group of private upper-caste militias.

The acute disparities within society make it one of the worst affected regions in the state.

Out of India's 602 administrative districts, 165 are considered to fall in the "Red Corridor", which is dominated by Naxalism.

Naxalism has been a menacing force since 1967.

ANI