Five Naxalites arrested by UP ATS

Five suspected Naxalites involved in spreading their ideology in several districts of Uttar Pradesh through proxy organisations have been arrested in Basantpur village of the district by the state Anti-Terrorist Squad, the agency said on Thursday. A woman Naxalite involved in the Madhuban bank robbery case in Bihar, in which two policemen were killed, is among those arrested on Tuesday, the Varanasi unit of the UP ATS said.

Superintendent of Police S Anand told PTI that the district police is on alert after the arrest of the naxalites.

"We are taking action on the basis of inputs received through the investigating agency," the SP added.


A large amount of Naxal literature, pamphlets, handwritten messages, electronic devices and weapons have been recovered from the arrested persons, who are all residents of Ballia district, the ATS said.

The ATS said they had received information that some prominent members of the banned Naxalite organisation, CPI (Maoist), were recruiting new members and propagating Naxalite ideology through proxy organisations for the expansion of their activities in the state districts bordering Bihar and Jharkhand.

The ATS said this was being done with an aim of establishing an armed rebellion and direct rule of their ideology within the country.

"After the death of Sandeep Yadav alias Rupesh, the main leader of the central committee of the Naxalite organisation CPI (Maoist), Pramod Mishra alias Budhau has formed an ad hoc committee in Purvanchal through Santosh Verma alias Mantosh, secretary of the organisation," the release said, adding there were reports that through this committee men and women are being recruited from different parts of Purvanchal.

Along with this, training is also being given to some people, it said.