The Maoists in Bihar are allegedly trying to revive themselves and are setting up their own arms manufacturing units after being pushed to the wall by the security forces and with the supply of weapons drying up.

They are said to be using experienced hands in this.

Bihar police unearthed one such illicit gun factory in an operation conducted in the hilly and forested parts of the Kaimur district bordering Jharkhand.

Three persons, including the factory operator, were arrested for their alleged involvement while several firearms, bullets, weapons in various stages of manufacturing, tools used in making them, and different types of propaganda material were seized.

Kaimur SP Lalit Mohan Sharma told The Telegraph on Thursday that the wheels of the operation set in motion with the arrest of one Sanjay Kumar Sahni on May 31. Two firearms, nine bullets and three manpacks (wireless communication devices designed to be carried by one person) were recovered from him.

“Another person identified as Rohit Rai alias Prakash Kumar was with Sahni at that time but managed to escape. The police in Aurangabad district later arrested him on Monday (August 7). He turned out to be the commander of the Sone-Ganga-Vindhyachal (SVZ) zone of the Maoists, and was recently appointed to the position,” Sharma said.

Police said Rai revealed that he and his accomplices were trying to revive and strengthen the Maoist presence in the hills and forests of Kaimur. The three persons arrested while unearthing the illicit arms manufacturing unit have been identified as Vijay Shankar Singh, Ramsurat Singh and Ayodhya Singh.