Maharashtra ATS nabs seven Telangana Maoists from Thane

In what is claimed to be a breakthrough, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has nabbed seven Telangana-based Maoists living in from Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district, an official said here on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off that a Maoist cadre was reaching Kalyan in adjoining Thane district by train on Friday, an ATS team detained him for routine enquiries, but he could not provide satisfactory replies.

Thereafter, he was subjected to sustained questioning when he revealed that he and his colleagues from Mumbai's northern suburbs like Kamraj Nagar, Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar and Vikhroli were members of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist.

Immediately on learning this, the ATS formed several teams and searched the homes of his associates where they stumbled upon incriminating documents and subsequently arrested six more people.

They are aged between 30-50 years and mostly hail from different towns in Telangana like Karimnagar and Nalgonda, but presently living in suburban Mumbai.

The ATS said that Maoists have declared parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat as a 'Golden Corridor' for propagating their ideology and spread their movement in the industrial zones.

The main accused and his accomplices were working in the 'Golden Corridor' to spread their ideology and lure people to their organization, besides being in touch with Left Wing Extremist cadres in the forests.

All those nabbed - whose identity has not been revealed - have been booked under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Aact by Mumbai ATS and sent to police custody till January 16, while further investigations are underway, the official said.

--IANS

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