Maoist Leader Held in WB; Accused Had Rs 2 Cr Bounty in Odisha, Jharkhand

Kolkata: A wanted Maoist leader with a Rs 2 crore bounty on his head was arrested by the special task force (STF) of the Kolkata Police from his in-laws' house at Patashpur in East Midnapore of West Bengal early Thursday. The accused, Asim Mondal alias Akash (64), was hiding there after facing fund crunch.

The STF raided the address at around 3 am following a tip-off and caught him. Akash was carrying a bounty of Rs 1 crore in Jharkhand and Rs 1.20 crore in Odisha while at large. Originally from Phoolchak village at Chandrakona in West Midnapore, Asim joined the People's War Group in his youth.

Announcing his arrest, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari posted on X-handle in the morning, “I commend the Officers and Personnel of the @KolkataPolice STF in successfully tracking and apprehending Asim Mandal @ Akash, Central Committee Member and Secretary of the West Bengal State Committee-I, CPI (Maoist), from Lalat; Patashpur, Purba Medinipur.”

He stated, “Evading law enforcement for more than 15 years across inter-state forest belts, his apprehension on the basis of sharp technical intelligence demonstrates the exceptional operational competence of our Police Force.

I want to make it categorically clear that West Bengal Government will not tolerate any attempt to revive or expand the network of 'Red Terror' within our State borders.”

The CM added, “No extremist ideology will be allowed to jeopardize the safety & security of the People and jeopardize the development of our State. The law will take its strictest course to demolish any such audacious attempt.”