Police arrest five Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Bastar District

Jagdalpur (Bastar, Chhattisgarh), Sept.12 (ANI): Police have arrested five more Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Bastar District.

Police officials here said that they conducted a search operation in the Bhanpuri area of the district on Friday after being tipped off about rebels being in the vicinity.

Those arrested are being suspected of hijacking trucks that were carrying 16 tons of ammonium nitrate explosive in May.

Pankaj Chandra, Additional Superintendent of Police, Bastar District, said each of the Maoists arrested were carrying a reward of Rs.4, 000 on their heads.

Pandu, one of the arrested rebels said that while he had killed no one, he used to get Rs.50 for the work he was asked to perform and Rs.20 for himself.

The government sees the Maoists as the biggest internal security threat and challenge. The Maoists started a peasant revolt in Naxalbari village in West Bengal state in 1967, giving the name Naxalism to their movement and Naxalites to the cadres. (ANI)