Huge cache of arms, ammunition recovered from Maoist den

Kolkata, Feb 3 (PTI) Acting on information provided by thetwo arrested Trinamool Congress activists with alleged Maoistlink, police today recovered an AK-47 rifle, 50 rounds of 8 mmbore cartridges and 61 gelatin sticks from an abandoned houseat Salboni in West Midnapore district.

The arms and ammunition were found after Asim Mahato andAmiya Mahato, the two arrested accused, were taken toKanyabali village in the Maoist stronghold of Salboni thismorning, ADG (law and order) S Karpurakayastha said here.

He said the police was trying to ascertain if the twoarrested from a Trinamool Congress-controlled relief campinside a municipality guest house in Midnapore town on January31, were involved in the biggest-ever Maoist ambush onFebruary 15 last year on an EFR camp in Silda in which 20 EFRpersonnel were killed.

To a question if the two would be charged under UAPA, hesaid, "It has not yet been decided."

Purakayastha said four others escaped police dragnet whileraid was conducted in the relief camp and the police had cometo know that they were also members of the Maoist squad.

West Midnapore district SP Manoj Verma, who came here toattend a meeting called by Deputy Election Commissioner VinodZutshi, said the seized AK-47 rifle bore the marks of ''EFR''suggesting that the weapon might have been looted from theSilda camp of EFR by the Maoists.

"Police was ascertaining if the two arrested had linkswith the Silda camp massacre," the SP said adding, "We arealso probing if they were members of People''s LiberationGroup (PLG)."

A Midnapore court today extended till February 8 thepolice remand of the two Maoist accused.