Top Maoist leader nabbed in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, May 4 (UNI) In a major catch, police today claimed to have arrested a top Maoist leader from forests in this district's Gariabandh area.

Sources at the Anti-Naxal Operations headquarters said that they had been informed by senior police officials of Raipur division that the arrested naxal was identified as Gopanna, a top functionary in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist).

They told UNI here that a team of officials was being sent to Gariabandh to verify whether the person concerned is the senior Maoist leader active in Dandakaranya region, covering the forests of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Most of the top rebel leaders were known by different names and it would take some time to reveal the actual identity.

Meanwhile, Inspector-General (Raipur Range) Y K S Thakur said that the arrested leader was identified as Gopanna who ''is wanted in connection with several cases.'' More UNI