Maoist urban support netork busted in Chhattisgarh; seven held

The Chhattisgarh Police on Friday claimed to have busted an alleged Maoist urban support network, with the arrest of seven people, including three construction contractors, from separate places in the state.

While two persons, identified as Tapas Palit and Dayashankar Mishra, were arrested last month, five others were held recently by Kanker district police, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI on Friday.

On March 24, the police had arrested contractor Palit while he was allegedly transporting a huge consignment of shoes, fabrics and walkie-talkie sets, meant for Naxals in his SUV, from Siksod police station area of Kanker district, he said.

During his interrogation, he revealed about the Maoist couriers network, which had beeen supplying various kinds of material and cash to Maoists since the last two years in northBastar, he said.

Mishra, who was associated with him, was later arrested from Rajandgaon district, the official said.

For an extensive probe into the matter, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kanker police led by Additional Superintendent of Police Kirtan Rathore was constituted, he said.

The SIT recently arrested five more persons- Ajay Jain (45), Komal Prasad Verma, both contractors from Rajnandgaon, Rohit Nag (33) of Koyalibeda in Kanker, Sushil Sharma (50) of Uttar Pradesh and Suresh Sharnagat (28) of Madhya Pradesh in this connection, he said.

As per the preliminary probe, two other Rajnandgaon- based contractors were allotted road construction works under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Antagarh, Amabeda, Siksod, Koyalibeda and other Naxal-affected areas of Kanker district by the government department concerned, the IG said.

The two contractors then authorised Ajay Jain, Komal Prasad Verma and Palit to carry out the construction work, he said.

"The trio allegedly established communication with the Naxals. They had been supplying shoes, Maoist uniforms, walkie-talkie sets and other materials along with lakhs of rupees of cash to the Maoists since the past two years," he said, adding that the remaining arrested persons are their accomplices.

Two cars and ten mobile phones were also seized from their possession, he said.

The involvement of some other people in the offence is being probed, he added.

According to police, the Maoists have suffered a huge blow with these arrests as the ongoing lockdown has already paralysed their supply chain.