Wanted Naxal commander nabbed in Chhattisgarh

A hardcore Naxal commander, carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, was today arrested from Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said.
The cadre, identified as Raghu alias Pungar Mandavi (30), was apprehended from Dantewada town by a small action team of the state's District Reserve Group (DRG), Dantewada Superintendent of Police Kamlochan Kashyap told PTI.
A native of Gangloor area of the neighbouring Bijapur district, Raghu was serving as a section commander of military platoon-II of Maoists as well as heading the west Bastar division action team of Naxals as a commander, Kashyap said.
Acting on a tip-off about his arrival in Dantewada to keep an eye on the recently surrendered cadres, a team of DRG, dressed as civilians, laid a trap in the area, he said.

Upon identifying the rebel, the police personnel nabbed him, he said.
After joining the outlawed Naxal movement in 2006, Mandavi served in different capacities within the banned outfit in south Bastar and became section commander in February this year.
During this period, he was also the security guard of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) secretary Ramanna who handles Maoist-activities in the entire Bastar region, from 2009 to 2011, the SP said.
During interrogation, Mandavi admitted to his involvement in the killing of SPOs (special police officers) and villagers in the region, Kashyap said, adding that his further interrogation may reveal crucial details about the Naxal strategies in the area.