Close aide of Maoists leader Kishanji held

Kolkata, Mar 3: In a major blow to the Maoists, the top Maoists leader Venkateswar Reddy, the suspected mastermind of Silda attack, was arrested by the the West Bengal police on Tuesday, Mar 2, night.

Reddy alias Telugu Dipak was nabbed from from Sarshuna on the southern fringes of the city, said Raj Kanojia, Additional Director General of Police of the Criminal Investigation Department .

The arrested Maoists leader is said to be a close aide of CPI(Maoist) polit bureau member Kishanji and is believed to carry out Kishanji military plans.

CID sources said that he is a member of the State Military Commission, West Bengal chapter, and is in-charge of armed operations in Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand.

Police said that Dipak may be behind the attack carried out on Feb 15 on an Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) camp at Silda in Paschim Medinipur district, in which 24 EFR personnel were killed.

The arrests of the top Maoists leader is considered as a major breakthrough for the security forces.

OneIndia News