Prominent Maoist leader held in Chandrapur

CHANDRAPUR: 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 today.

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.