Top Maoist leader Prashant Bose alias Kishan Da, who was carrying a reward of ₹1 crore on his head, has been arrested, Jharkhand police said on Friday.
Officers said he was being taken to Ranchi for further interrogation along with his wife, Sheela Marandi, another senior Maoist leader.
Kishan Da, wanted in several criminal cases, is said to be among the top rung leaders in the hierarchy of the rebel outfit and used to head the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) before it merged with the CPI-ML (People’s War) to form the CPI (Maoist) in 2004. He was heading the eastern regional bureau of the extremist outfit and was in charge of its activities in states like Jharkhand, Bengal, Bihar and Odisha.
Marandi, meanwhile, was reportedly the only woman member of the decision-making body central committee (CC) of the CPI (Maoist).
According to some reports, the senior ultras were held on Thursday based on intelligence inputs. Several states had put a bounty on Bose's whereabouts and arrest.
Bose, who hails from West Bengal, was believed to have been operating from Saranda forests, news agency PTI quoted an officer as saying.
{{/usCountry}}Bose, who hails from West Bengal, was believed to have been operating from Saranda forests, news agency PTI quoted an officer as saying.
{{/usCountry}}(With inputs from bureau and agencies)