Five Maoists were arrested by the Tamil Nadu police after a gun-battle in the southern Theni district on Wednesday.

A statement issued by the State police headquarters said three of them were injured in the exchange of fire.

Acting on a tipoff, a special police team which included the Special Task Force, raided their hideout. The police party seized some rifles and ammunition from them.

The injured, admitted to Theni government hospital, were identified as Nondi Palani alias Mahalingam, Marudhu and Muruganandam. The other two were Yogesh and Balamurugan. Mahalingam is said to be absconding for the last 29 years since his implication in a double murder in Vellore district in 1978. Yogesh is from Chhattisgarh, police said. Earlier this year, a training camp for Maoists was unearthed near Periyakulam, also in Theni district.

Subsequently, Sundaramoorthy, said to be the Maoist head for Tamil Nadu, was arrested in Tiruppur near Coimbatore.

About 10 days ago, a woman cadre Madhavi alias Mary, was arrested near Chennai. She was staying with fellow Maoist Panduranga Reddy alias Sagar, for over a month in a Chennai suburb.

She was arrested a few days after Andhra police nabbed Reddy in Prakasam district. The latest incident closely follows a meeting National Security Adviser M K Narayanan had with Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here last Monday. Narayanan told reporters after the meeting that Tamil Nadu was handling the Naxalite menace better than any other State dealing with  similar problem.