Bhopal, Sep 6 (IANS): A female Maoist cadre carrying a bounty of Rs 14 lakh on her head has been arrested from Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh, the police said on Friday.

The arrest came when the Hawk Force of Madhya Pradesh Police was carrying out a special search operation in the Parsatola area under the Chichrangpur forest range in the district during night hours on Thursday.

"During the search, two suspicious individuals were spotted and after a brief pursuit, one of them was apprehended. However, another Maoist managed to escape,” the police said.

The arrested Maoist has been identified as Sajanti, a resident of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra.

"Sajanti was actively involved in Maoist activities in Gadchiroli since 2011. In 2016, she shifted base to Balaghat and became active in the Khatiya Mocha area," the police said.

The police also claimed that when the team of Hawk Force was returning to its camp, they were attacked by a group of suspected Maoists.

"At least 30-40 rounds were fired at the team which fired back, forcing the attackers to flee," the police said, adding that a large-scale search operation involving teams from CRPF Cobra and Hawk Force is currently underway to apprehend the Maoists who escaped.

The latest arrest is the fifth major success in anti-Maoist operations achieved by the police since December last year.

In December 2023, wanted Maoist Madkam Hidma alias Chaitu was gunned down, leading to the promotion of 24 police officers.

Another major operation on April 1, 2024, led to the killing of two dreaded Maoist cadres, leading to the promotion of 25 officers involved in the encounter.

In July, the Hawk Force killed Sohan alias Ukas, a Maoist carrying a bounty of Rs 14.