Three Naxals were arrested from insurgency-riddled Dantewada district in mineral-rich Bastar region, police said Saturday.
The lower-rung cadres were apprehended from the forest of Dumampara-Tumakpal villages under Katekalyan police station limits when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and District Force (DF) was carrying out a search operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava informed.
Those arrested were identified as Mangal Kunjam alias Shailesh (23), Budhram Madkami (25) and Waman Mandavi (33), all active members of janmilitia in Katekalyan area.
Six electronic detonators, five gelatin rods, a bundle of electric wires and other Naxal-related materials were recovered from them. They were mainly tasked with arranging meetings of villagers for Naxals, putting up Maoist posters and banners.
"Investigation is underway to ascertain whether they were part of the Maoist squad that killed a BJP MLA and four security personnel on April 9 in Kuwakonda area of the district," Pallava said.
A large number of janmilitia members from Katekalyan and Malangir area committees of Maoist were involved in that attack, he claimed.