Who is Misir Besra? Last active member of Maoist politburo with ₹1 cr bounty, arrested after two decades on the run | Today’s news
Misir Besra, the last active member of the politburo and central committee of the banned CPI (Maoist), was arrested in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district on Tuesday.
Besra, who carried a bounty of more than ₹1 million, was nabbed in a joint operation by the Intelligence Service (IB), Jharkhand Police, CRPF and Jharkhand Jaguar in the Maniadih area near the Dhanbad-Giridih border.
His arrest effectively ends the active leadership of the CPI (Maoist) Politburo, according to security officials, Hindustan Times reported.
A four-decade long journey in the Maoist movement
A native of Pirtaand in Jharkhand, Besra joined the Maoist movement nearly four decades ago while studying at a college in Dhanbad. According to reports, he was drawn into the insurgency through the Mahajani movement and gradually rose through the ranks to become one of the organization’s most influential leaders.
Over the years, he became a member of the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee and later its Politburo, the organization’s highest decision-making body.
Read also | Top Maoist leader, 60 others surrender in presence of Maharashtra CM Fadnavis
An arrest, a dramatic escape and years underground
Besra was first arrested in September 2007 in Jharkhand’s Khunti district.
However, his detention lasted less than two years. In 2009, Maoists stormed the Lakhisarai judicial complex in Bihar and freed him in a dramatic jailbreak.
After his escape, Besra operated from dense forest areas including Budha Pahad, Kolhan and Saranda, emerging as one of India’s most wanted Maoist leaders.
More than 150 criminal cases
According to security agencies, Besra is facing more than 150 criminal cases across Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was also looking for him in two separate cases.
The last active top Maoist leader
Besra was the last active member of the Politburo and Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist).
At its peak, the banned group had more than 40 central committee members. Over the years, most of the senior leaders were either killed in clashes, arrested or surrendered.
In May 2025, former general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju was killed in an encounter, while politburo member Dev surrendered to security forces in February 2026.
Security agencies said Besra consistently refused repeated calls to surrender, despite efforts by the police and even his family.
Read also | Jharkhand: Maoist carrying ₹1 crore reward among 3 killed in encounter
Arrests following an intelligence-led operation
The intelligence agency tracked Besra’s movements for several months. Acting on information that he was traveling in a Tata Magic vehicle with associates, security forces launched a coordinated operation and nabbed him near the Dhanbad-Giridih border.
Two close associates, Gaurav Hasda and Mehnat alias Mochu, were arrested along with him.
The arrests came hours after 24 Maoists surrendered to police in the Saranda region, with officials saying information provided by the surrendered cadres also helped investigators trace Besra’s movements.