6 cops among 12 killed by MCC

PATNA, Dec 23 (PTI) — The outlawed Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) killed 12 persons, including six police personnel, in south Bihar’s Chatra and Hazaribagh districts since Wednesday, official sources said here today.

Five jawans of the Bihar Military Police (BMP) and an officer were killed in a landmine blast by the MCC ultras at a place 6 km from the Kunda police station in dense forests today, IG (Operations) M.K. Sinha said.The BMP patrol was on its way to the Jhur police station from Kunda when the Naxalites detonated the landmine, he said, adding all policemen died on the spot.

In another incident, six tribals, including a woman were killed by the outfits in the Jharpo forest area in the adjoining Hazaribagh district yesterday, Deputy Commissioner Deepak Prasad said.

The victims, all belonging to Semradhab village, were abducted from a village market before being done to death. The Naxalites slit the throat of five men, while the woman was bludgeoned to death.

The residents of Semaradhab have old an enmity with the Naxalites as they have been engaged in armed resistance against the ultras, the police officer said.

HYDERABAD (PTI): Two naxalites of the banned People’s War Group (PWG) were killed in an encounter with the police at Urlaguda forest area in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh early on Thursday police said here. A special police party on routine combing operations was fired upon by a group of naksals stationed in the area. In retaliatory fire, two unidentified ultras belonging to Mangi Dalam were killed.

ED ex-officer Aggarwal arrested

NEW DELHI, Dec 23 (UNI) — Former Enforcement Directorate Deputy Director Ashok Aggarwal, allegedly involved with Abhishek Verma and other hawala operators, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh this afternoon.

CBI Special Public Prosecutor T.P. Sinha told the court of Special Judge S.S. Bal here that Aggarwal was arrested from hotel Taj in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The court was hearing the plea of Aggarwal for anticipatory bail. The plea was subsequently rejected.

Aggarwal, at present posted with the Department of Revenue, has been charged with misconduct and amassing assets disproportionate to his income. The CBI says he has been absconding since December 2, when he applied for leave.

The CBI had arrested Abhishek, son of Congress M.P. Veena Verma, on November 29 for conspiring with Aggarwal to implicate a Delhi-based jeweller Subash Barjatya in a false case of FERA violation.

Aggarwal, who handled several sensitive cases, including those against former Union Ministers Sukh Ram, Krishna Kumar and Buta Singh, is most likely to be produced in the special court tomorrow afternoon after he obtains the transit remand from the court in Saharanpur.

Abhishek was released on bail and turned an approver in the case. In his confessional statement to the CBI on December 2, he allegedly revealed many facts about Aggarwal’s misconduct as a public servant.

The investigating agency thereafter raided the west Delhi house of Aggarwal’s brother-in-law H. K. Aggarwal, the owner of Action Shoes.

The 1985 batch Indian Revenue Service officer had also worked as private secretary to Mr Balram Singh Yadav, the then Minister of Mines in the Narasimha Rao government.