Maoist Carrying Rs 2 Lakh Reward Arrested In Maharashtra: Police

A 32-year-old Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head was arrested in eastern Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Wednesday, a police official said.

Mahendra Kishtayya Veladi, the arrested man, was a resident of Bijapur in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, he said.

The Maharashtra government had announced a total reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head, the official said.

Gadchiroli Police had specific intelligence that Velodi was moving suspiciously along the river banks near Damrancha with the intention of providing information about the movement of security forces to the Naxals, he said.

Accordingly, the district police including its C-60 commandos and CRPF personnel launched an operation and Veladi was arrested.

He admitted to keeping a watch on the security forces of Damrancha and Mannerajaram Armed Outposts with the intention of providing information to the maoists for targeting them during routine operations, the official claimed.

He was also involved in an attack on forest officials between Kapewancha and Nainer forests earlier this year, the official added.

Mahendra Veladi was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act.

He allegedly started working as a supply team member of the maoists in 2009 and also performed the sentry duty whenever maoists leaders visited the Cherpalli forest.

He was involved in an encounter in Sandra area in December 2017 and the murder of an innocent civilian in Sandra village in May 2023, according to police.

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