Maha ATS surprised by number of Naxals arrested in Pune

"It was shocking to learn that there were not just three to five,but 10 naxals who had taken refuge," an official said.

The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad,which nabbed suspected naxals from a railway station in Pune two days ago,had never thought that there would be as many as 10 of them hiding out in the district.

“We have been given inputs by the West Bengal security officials that three to five naxals from there had taken refuge in Maharashtra and could be living near Pune. With this info,the ATS Pune unit had been put on the job,” said an ATS official on Saturday.

“As we started working on it,we learnt that there could be more… For last one month,we had been continuously working to track them down,” he added.

At some point,the alleged naxals too got wind of the ATS’s operation and they were about to flee Pune area,the official said.

“At the right time,we learnt about their plan and arrested them from Pune railway station premises. They were to escape to West Bengal,” the official added.

“It was shocking to learn that there were not just three to five,but 10 naxals who had taken refuge here,which is alarming. All of them worked as casual labourers,” the official said.

The arrested persons were allegedly associated with Sidhu-Kanhu naxal group of West Bengal and hailed from West Midnapore district.

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