A Maoist was arrested jointly by local police and the state's elite anti-naxalite force, Special Operation Group jawans, at Temurpally unde Mathili police station, 60 km from Malkangiri on Monday.
The Maoist, identified as Pitabas Singh Thakur (32), who belongs to Komakolen village of Dantewada district of Chhatisgarh, was extorting money from the traders of the Temurpally weekly market of Rayagada district.
Following a tiff-off, police and SOG jawans laid a seize around the weekly market and arrested the ultra, Mathili police station Inspector-in-charge Ramakrushna Pati said.
The ultra, who was working under Daraba Dalam of Chhatishgarh, is a close associate of Surendra, the commandant of Daraba Dalam, he said.
It was revealed during interrogation that Thakur was involved in many crimes including Salim and Mundaguda police outpost blast cases, police said.