Top Maoist leader Kanchan, five others arrested
In a severe blow to the Maoists, a top leader of the ultras and four others were arrested from the metropolis and neighbouring Howrah district, while another naxal who had taken part in the attack on an EFR camp at Silda was nabbed from West Midnapore district.Kanchan alias Sudip Chongdar, a central committee member who had planned the Lalgarh movement in 2008 and second only to Kishenji was arrested from Maidan area of the metropolis by the Special Task Force of the police yesterday, STF chief Rajiv Kumar told reporters today.
Kanchan a think tank and 'state secretary' of the ultras, was wanted for sedition. He had been elevated as 'state secretary' after the arrest of Somen alias Himadri Sen Roy from a railway station in North 24 Parganas in February 2008.
A resident of Garbeta in West Midnapore, Kanchan had been arrested earlier, but was released after spending about two years in jail.
Arrested together with Kanchan were state committee members Anil Ghosh alias Ajay, Barun Sur alias Bidyut and a cadre Bimal Mallick alias Shankar, Kumar said.
STF personnel also arrested woman state committee member Kalpana Maity alias Anu from Howrah station area, he said.
Initial interrogation revealed that Ghosh was a resident of Regent Park here, Sur was from Janipara in Hooghly district, Anu from Chandrakona in West Midnapore and Bimal Mallick from Ghola in North 24 Parganas district, he said.
Anu was also the wife of Akash, another Maoist leader eluding the police dragnet for a long time. The naxal cadre, Mallick, worked as a courier for the ultras.
A Maoist squad leader, Kajol Mahto, alleged to have taken part in the raid on the Eastern Frontier Rifles camp at Silda in West Midnapore district on February 15 this years that left 24 securitymen dead was also arrested from Pathartuntuni in Salboni police station area in the district yesterday.
The STF chief said a huge quantity of new, sophisticated foreign made communication devices, including wireless sets, voice control devices, antennas and other modes of communication, the operation of which was unknown to the police, were also seized.
"Many communication devices have been seized whose operational efficacy is still being ascertained by STF experts," Kumar said.
The Maoists appeared to be overhauling their communication system, damaged during operations by joint security forces in West Midnapore district. Though no arms were found, parts of IEDs and timer circuits were seized, he said, adding raids were on in some areas of Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas districts.