Hazaribagh police arrested three Peoples’ Liberation Front of India (PLFI) extremists, one from Ranchi and two from Barkagaon of Hazaribagh, in a case of extortion on Monday, superintendent of police Karthik S. said.

He said the three had been demanding tax from the ONGC and other companies in the area. They also recovered Rs 67,000 and three mobile phones from the trio.

Karthik said PLFI member Nand Kishore Mahto had been extorting money, along with his group members, from companies in the Barkagaon area.

A raid was conducted and three members of the outfit, Vikrendra Prasad, Raju Prasad and Nitin were arrested. An operation to nab Mahto and other members is on, he added.

Sources said the police arrested Nitin from Ranchi, who later named the two others as members of PLFI, who were working with him at Mahto’s instructions. The others were arrested from Barkagaon.

Minor arrested for kidnap and rape

A minor youth of Haradag village under Ramana police station has been booked for the abduction and rape of a 16-year-old girl.

Police sources said the girl lodged a complaint with Meral police station, saying the youth kidnapped her around 9pm on Saturday, threatening her with death if she didn’t go with him.

She alleged that he took her to his residence and sexually abused her.

On Sunday, he took her back to her residence.

“On the basis of the victim’s complaint, the police have registered a case against the boy under Sections 376 (rape), 366(a) (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage), of the IPC, Section 4 of the POCSO Act,” police station in-charge Rameshwar Upadhyay said.

Dhanbad court awards life imprisonment to rapist

A POCSO court of Dhanbad on Monday awarded rigorous life imprisonment to Shishupa Mahto in connection with the rape of minor girl of November 16, 2018.

The court held Mahto, a resident of Baliapur, guilty on Sunday after 19 months of trial and imposed a fine of Rs 35,000 on him.

The father of the victim, a farmer, lodged a case against Mahto on November 16, 2018, accusing him of abducting his 15-year-old daughter when she went outside their residence on November 15 afternoon.

The police traced Mahto and his daughter five days later to Govindpur.

The duo claimed to have got married but the girl changed her stand later on.

The police submitted a chargesheet on December 30 and charges were framed against Mahto on February 22, 2019.