'Maoist operative' arrested in Chhattisgarh with 23 detonators, naxal texts

During checking on Sunday, Murty was stopped in Baghnadi police station area and arrested after Maoist-related material was found from his possession, police said

In a major breakthrough in unravelling the overground network of naxals in urban areas, the Chhattisgarh Police Sunday arrested a senior technical officer at the Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) who they said is working as a Maoist operative and allegedly supplying various materials to ultras.

The operative, identified as N Venkat Rao alias Murty (54), was arrested by a team of local police in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh when he was heading towards Rajandgaon town from Deori in Maharashtra on a motorcycle, a senior officer told PTI.

"Twenty-three detonators, naxal documents, Maoist literature, a laptop, a mobile phone and two chargers were recovered from his possession," said Inspector General of Police (Durg Range) GP Singh.

Murty, a native of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, is working as a senior technical officer at NGRI, Hyderabad, he said.

NGRI works under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

As per preliminary information, Murty had been supplying various materials, including explosives, to senior Maoist cadres, particularly in the bordering areas of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, the IG said.

He said a naxal leader who had surrendered a couple of months ago had revealed crucial details about "overground network" of naxals.

"Notably, a senior naxal leader and Division Committee Secretary of Gondia-Rajnandgaon-Balaghat division of Maoists Kumarsai alias Pahad Singh, who had surrendered before police in Durg range couple of months ago, had revealed crucial details about overground network of Maoists functioning in urban areas,"the police officer said.

Based on inputs provided by Pahad, separate teams of police were sent to different states to collect information about the urban operatives of Maoists.

Meanwhile, police received a tip-off that a key Maoist operative, who had been actively supplying various materials to Maoists, was about to travel to Rajnandgaon from neighbouring Maharashtra, following which check posts were set up on the route, he said.

During checking on Sunday, Murty was stopped in Baghnadi police station area and arrested after Maoist-related material was found from his possession, Singh added.

"During interrogation, Murty revealed that he was inspired by radical students' union protest in Andhra Pradesh in the 1980s and since then he had been supporting the Maoist ideology," he said.

The operative also revealed that delivery or transportation of explosives to Maoists was being done in different areas in the country based on his directions, the IG said terming the arrest as a big achievement.

Besides, he had been actively propagating Maoist propaganda through various means in the society.

He was traveling to Rajandgaon to meet some senior cadres with an intention to execute a major incident in the district, the IG added.