Maoist leader held near Kolkata

KOLKATA - A key Maoist leader was arrested Tuesday from Kolkata’s adjoining South 24-Parganas district by West Bengal’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), police said.

“Venkatesh Reddy alias Deepak was a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) state committee member and he also headed its state military commission,” Additional Director General of Police (CID) Raj Kanojia told IANS.

According to CID sources, Reddy was arrested from Sarshuna area in Behala Tuesday evening following a tip-off. Behala in South 24-Parganas is around 15 km from Kolkata.

Reddy was an explosives expert and very close to Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji, the sources said.

There are several cases pending against him in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Orissa.

Tuesday’s operation to nab the Maoist leader was carried out by CID’s Special Operation Group, Kanojia said.