Police have conducted an aerial survey covering areas along the Jharkhand-West Bengal border to discover routes of escape being used by Maoist fighters who evaded security forces following an encounter in Dumka district, reports The Tribune. In the said encounter, a zonal commander of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), Tala da alias Sahdeo Rai, was eliminated.
The encounter of left-wing extremists occurred at Chatpura, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Shikaripara police station. Tala da had been a wanted outlaw with a Rs 10 lakh award on his head.
Dumka Superintendent of Police YS Ramesh along with DIG (Santal Paragana) Raj Kumar Lakra and DIG (SSB) Somit Joshi, led the aerial survey to track the injured Naxals.
Ramesh stated that all possible routes of escape had been marked, as well as drains and small huts along the way.
Local administrations of adjoining districts like Godda, Pakur and Birbhum were intimated of the escaped fugitives.
Ramesh gave out an appeal to the Maoists to surrender before authorities and reintegrate into the mainstream or suffer a similar end as Tala da.