A hardcore Maoist was arrested during a combing operation by security personnel in the Brahmanigaon area of Kandhamal district on Wednesday.
The ultra, identified as Mathew Jagaranga, was picked from his hideout at Meragudi village under the Kotagarh police station during a joint combing by the CRPF, District Voluntary Force and local police, said Baliguda Sub-Divisional Police Officer Arjun Barik.
Sources said Mathew, who belongs to Ambimaha in Raygada district, is suspected to be involved in an ambulance blast case in Kandhamal in November 2010 where five people were killed. His involvement is also suspected in the explosion near Srirampur on January 5, 2012 in which three police personnel were killed.
"For the past four years, Mathew had been working for Maoist leaders Nikhil and Sharada. We have recovered an SlR gun from his possession," said Kandhamal SP JN Pankaj.
This was the third arrest of a hardcore Maoist in two weeks in the State. Earlier, the Malkangiri police had arrested Trinath Golori and seized explosives from his possession. .
The police too had nabbed Kandra Dalabehera, a wanted Maoist reportedly belonging to Sabyasachi Panda’s Odisha Maovadi Party from the Richaguda forest under the Badagarh police station in Ganjam district.