In a major breakthrough, the police have arrested a prominent Maoist leader and the member of the Maharashtra State Naxal Committee from Talodhi village near here, police said on Sunday.
Maroti Kurwatkar, who is the second in-command in the state committee and is a Professional Revolutionary (PR), besides being a Political Body member of the Maharashtra State Committee, was nabbed by the elite C-60 and Naxal Cell squad of Chandrapur Police yesterday from Talodi bus stand after a brief chase.
Briefing mediapersons today, DSP Mohammed Suvez Haque, said the five-member police team, including two sub-inspectors and three constables drawn from the Naxal Cell and C-60 squad, apprehended the Red ultra when he was heading towards Talodhi village on a bike taking a lift from an unknown person.
"The cops gave him (Kurwatkar) a chase for around 2-3 km and detained him at the bus stand there. During the interrogation, Kurwatkar accepted that he is a Maoist. After preliminary investigations, we have concluded that the detained person is in fact Maroti Kurwatkar," he said, adding a diary containing some codes which could be very useful for further investigation was found on the accused.
"Kurwatkar is well-educated and can speak English, Hindi and Marathi fluently. After his graduation, he joined Dalam and went on to become a hardcore naxalite. He is a chief of Chandrapur Area Committee and member of the Maharashtra State Committee for several years," Haque said.
Throwing more light on the background of the outlaw, the SP said the Maoist State Committee had also assigned the responsibility of the Bramhapuri Committee, having a codename of 'White House' to Kurwatkar.
"He was actively involved in dumping of arms and ammunition at Ramala talao and distributing provocative handouts in Chandrapur city," Haque said. According to police, Kurwatkar is a native of village Temburwahi in Rajura tehsil and his father happens to be a farmer.
The Red ultra, who was booked under various sections of IPC, was today produced before a local court which remanded him to police custody till February 3, district police PRO Rahul Katukar said.