Suspected Maoist from Haryana arrested in B'luru

Bengaluru : A suspected Maoist from Haryana was arrested from a lodge here, said police sources on Friday, adding that he had come to Bengaluru to meet his girlfriend. The police recovered two bags, pen drives, and a tablet from the accused, identified as Aniruddh.

According to the sources, Aniruddh was working for the CPI Maoists and was involved in subversive activities.

Acting on a tip-off, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) attached to the Central City Crime Branch (CCB) nabbed him when he was about to leave for Chennai by an RTC bus.

After arriving from Haryana, Aniruddh was staying at a lodge within the Upparpet police station limits in Bengaluru's Central Business District. He was arrested at the Majestic KSRTC bus stand while preparing to leave for Chennai on Thursday morning, police sources revealed.

The suspect was involved in circulating banned literature and had managed to evade the police until now. He was deeply involved in Maoist activities and was a member of a banned organisation.

Aniruddh had been collecting and raising funds for the banned outfit he worked for and had held secret meetings across the country, according to the police.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had arrived in Bengaluru three to four days ago to meet his girlfriend. The accused was found with a fake Aadhaar identity card in the name of Vikas Ghadge. A case has been registered at the Upparpet police station in this regard.

The police have charged the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and have taken him into custody for further investigation.

The Karnataka Police have shared this information with their counterparts in Haryana, and a team from Haryana is expected to arrive to question the accused, sources stated.

However, the official statement is yet to come from the Karnataka Police Department. Police sources maintained that they will conduct a thorough investigation as the Maoist network is active in hilly and coastal districts of Karnataka. The police had earlier detected satellite phone communication from these regions to abroad.