Eleven Maoists arrested in Gaya

Gaya (Bihar), Nov 3 (ANI): Bihar Police arrested eleven Maoist rebels in Gaya district on Monday.

Acting on a tip off the police raided Rangpur village falling under the Atri police station in Gaya district and nabbed the rebels.

"When we cordoned off the house, there was a room with stone tiles on the second floor, where all these Maoist rebels were standing. They could not flee as we had cordoned off the house from all four sides," S N Dubey, in-charge, Atri police station told reporters.

The police also seized arms, ammunitions, two bikes and some documents from the rebels.

Police said one of the arrested rebels was an accused in the 2005 jailbreak case of Jehanabad.

Maoists have stepped up violence across eastern and central India and internal security experts say it indicates a growing dominance of the insurgents in the country.

Last month, suspected Maoists held the Rajdhani express train, which was freed by security forces after a five-hour hostage drama.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Maoists as the biggest internal security challenge since independence, which began four decades ago championing the cause of poor peasants in the east, but has now spread to about 20 of India's 29 states.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the government was willing to talk to the Maoists about issues such as poverty and orruption that are often blamed for stoking the insurgency, but insisted the rebels must first stop violence. (ANI)