Ranchi: In a major anti-Naxal operation, Jharkhand Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of CPI (Maoist) politburo member Misir Besra from Dhanbad district, describing it as a significant breakthrough. Mishra said Besra was the “only active top-ranking CPI (Maoist) politburo member” and claimed the Maoist presence in the state had been “almost wiped out” following the arrest. “They were responsible for the deaths of more than 100 security personnel,” he said. During the operation, security forces seized three AK-47 rifles, eight magazines and 288 cartridges. On Tuesday, 16 Maoists, including six carrying a combined bounty of ₹39 lakh, surrendered before Jharkhand Police.