Maoist duo lured displaced workers

A husband-wife duo arrested on Tuesday, described by police as “talent hunters” of Maoists in the capital, looked for probable candidates among “displaced labourers” in industrial areas of Delhi, police said.

A husband-wife duo arrested on Tuesday, described by police as “talent hunters” of Maoists in the capital, looked for probable candidates among “displaced labourers” in industrial areas of Delhi, police said.

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Police said during their two-and-a-half-year stay in Delhi and adjoining Noida, they had recruited more than 25 people into the Maoist fold.

The accused, identified as Gopal Mishra (43), a postgraduate in psychology from West Bengal and his wife Anu, a graduate from Varanasi joined the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 2005.

“They were tasked with strengthening the Maoist base in urban areas. We are looking for others, including some students, who helped the couple,” said a senior police officer.

On March 6, HT was the first to report that after the sealing drive in the capital, Maoists were inducting displaced labourers into their cadre.

Police have seized a laptop and about 10 CDs from the New Modern Shahadra rented accommodation of the couple. They had posed as “proofreaders”, working with an editing firm in front of their landlord.

“We gave them the house on rent as they had come through a common contact. They told us they were proofreaders and looked educated, so we did not suspect anything. They got a laptop only a few days ago,” said the landlady of the Mishras, refusing to be identified.

“Before moving to the east Delhi accommodation, the accused stayed in Noida,” said the officer.

Mishra was the leader of the little-known trade union—Mehnatkush Mazdoor Morcha. “The couple was getting directions from core members of the cadre, including Kishenji. We have sent the laptop and CDs recovered from their house to the forensic laboratory for examination,” said the officer. The couple has been remanded to police custody till May 2.