Naxal Yogendra, Accused of Bomb Planting in Slain Soldier’s Body, Apprehended

Four notorious Naxals, including Yogendra Ganjhu, have been arrested in Jharkhand for allegedly demanding a ransom of one crore rupees from a Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) employee. The arrested Naxals are linked to the CPI (Maoist) Koyal-Shankh Zone Committee. Yogendra Ganjhu, also known as Pawan Ganjhu, is particularly infamous for his brutality. He is accused of planting a bomb in the body of a soldier after his death. A special team formed by Ranchi SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha conducted a raid in the Buxy Bangla Chatti river area of the Khalari police station. The operation led to the arrest of Yogendra Ganjhu, Mukesh Ganjhu, Rajkumar Nahak, and Manu Ganjhu. Authorities recovered a loaded country-made pistol, three live cartridges, and other incriminating materials from their possession. The ransom demand was made on June 25, 2025, targeting a CCL employee working in the general manager’s office. Following the incident, the victim filed an FIR at the Khalari police station. Yogendra Ganjhu, a wanted criminal in numerous serious cases across several Jharkhand districts, had been a key figure. He is accused of planting a bomb in the body of a police jawan during an encounter in 2013 in the Katia forest area of Garu police station in Latehar. Pawan Ganjhu joined the organization in 2006 and became the area commander of the Garu-Saryu region. He became a sub-zonal commander in 2009. He was arrested in 2012 but later distanced himself from the organization. Due to financial difficulties, he rejoined the Naxal group and started extorting money from businessmen, contractors, and coal traders, which led to the recent ransom demand from the CCL employee.