The Chhattisgarh police arrested senior Maoist leader Prabhakar alias Balmuri Narayan Rao, who is a member of the Special Zone Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist), in a strategic operation in the Antagarh town of Kanker district in Bastar region on Sunday, officials said.
“Prabhakar (57) has been an active member of the CPI (Maoist) for over 40 years, and has operated in several states, including Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. He has been a key figure in the logistics supply chain and the Mobile Political School (MOPOS) team of the North Sub-Zonal Bureau of the CPI (Maoist),” a senior officer said.
The officer further claimed that Prabhakar had strong links to top Maoist leaders including senior leader Ganpati, Basva Raju, K Ramchandra Reddy alias Raju, Devji alias Kuma Dada, Kosa, Sonu, and Mallaraja Reddy alias Sangram.
His role as a crucial associate in the supply network for several Maoist leaders across the states is well-documented, the officer said. His wife Raje Kange was incharge of Raoghat area committee in North Bastar region.
Prabhakar had been overseeing the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) and the Mobile Political School (MOPOS) operations, officials said
{{/usCountry}}Prabhakar had been overseeing the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) and the Mobile Political School (MOPOS) operations, officials said
{{/usCountry}}The Chhattisgarh government had previously announced a reward of ₹25 lakh for information leading to his capture.
His arrest followed intelligence inputs that confirmed his activities in the region, which is known for Maoist insurgency. Police are continuing their interrogation to gather more information and plan further legal actions.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P in a statement said that Prabhhakar’s arrest marks a critical achievement in the ongoing operations against Maoist cadres in the region.
“As of 2024, a total of 884 Maoist cadres have been arrested in the Bastar division, and police are determined to continue their crackdown on Maoist activities,” he said.
Prabhakar was a resident of Birpur, which comes under Jagityal district of Telangana. He joined the Maoists in 1984 as a party member and was in undivided Andhra Pradesh from 1984-1994. He was then shifted to Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh) and was active from 1995-1997. Later he came to North Bastar and Koyalibeda areas and was active in that area from 1998 to 2005. From 2005-2007, he headed the DKSZC supply team and Urban Network from 2005-2007. Prabhakar then became active in the Manpur-Mohla area ( Rajnandgaon) from 2007-2008.
He started overseeing DKSZC Supply and MOPOS (Mobile Political School) operations from 2008.