Police have arrested three hardcore Maoists from a weekly market in Bacheli area of the restive Dantewada district in Bastar.
One of the arrested rebels was a Section Commander of Maoist Military Platoon Number-2 and was suspected to be involved in Jeeram valley attack on the Congress party convoy last year, Superintendent of Police (SP) Dantewada, Prashant Agrawal informed on Thursday.
According to the SP, the arrested rebels were identified as Chaitu lekam alias Munna (25) resident of Nayapara, Aytu Punem (37) resident of Dumri Palnar and Mugu Kunjam (24) hailing from Madpal area of the insurgency hit Bijapur district.
We had specific intelligence inputs that some Maoists had reached the weekly market in Bacheli. Accordingly, a special unit was sent to the spot which nabbed them, Agrawal informed The Pioneer
over phone. Detailing background of arrested ultras, the SP said that lekam joined the Maoist cadre in 2007.
He was the Section Commander of the Maoist Military Platoon Number-2 active in the region. lekam was also member of ‘South Regional Committee Action Team’ one of the offshoots of banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
lekam was involved in Naxal ambush in Jeeram valley where about 30 persons including senior Congress party leaders were killed. He was also part of the Naxal ambush wherein six policemen were martyred at Mirtoor area of Bijapur in February 2008.
likewise, he, along with other left wing insurgents, had attacked CISF post in Bacheili in 2012 where two jawans had lost their lives. The State government has declared cash reward of `1 lakh on arrest of Maoist Military Platoon member, SP informed.
The others arrested were Aytu Punem , Platoon Commander of militia while Mugu Kunjam was member of militia active in Gangloor region. The SP further said: ‘ We have demanded police custody remand of Chaitu lekam for seven days and have also alerted NIA (National Investigation Agency) which is currently probing the Jeeram valley attack.’