Five members of banned outfit held in Jharkhand

Five members of the banned Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) have been arrested in Jharkhand's Palamu district for allegedly setting fire to vehicles near a brick kiln, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

Around 16 TSPC pamphlets, five mobile phones, one bike among other things were recovered from their possession, the officer said.

According to Palamu Superintendent of Police (SP) Chandan Kumar Sinha, the arrests were made during the course of an investigation that was launched after members of the outfit, a breakaway faction of the CPI(Maoist), had allegedly torched five tractors on March 20 near a brick kiln in Nawa Bazar area here.

Based on a complaint filed by the brick kiln owner, the TSPC members were picked up from different parts of the district on Friday night, he said.