Suspected Maoist was in Bengaluru to meet girlfriend, say K'taka Police

A suspected Maoist from Haryana was arrested from a lodge here, said police on Friday, adding that he had come to Bengaluru to meet his girlfriend.

The police recovered two bags, pen drives, and a tablet from the accused, identified as 35-year-old Aniruddh Rajan.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda speaking to media on Friday confirmed the arrest. "Aniruddh had come to Bengaluru on a private task. He is linked to banned Left-wing organisations and he has also worked with such banned organisations. He is being arrested and the case has been registered in Upparpet police station," he stated.

"The accused has been taken into 14 days of police custody and presently, the investigation is focussed on his activities," the Police Commissioner said.

According to the sources, Aniruddh was working for the CPI Maoists and was involved in subversive activities.

Acting on a tip-off, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) attached to the Central City Crime Branch (CCB) nabbed him when he was about to leave for Chennai by an RTC bus.

After arriving from Haryana, Aniruddh was staying at a lodge within the Upparpet police station limits in Bengaluru's Central Business District. He was arrested at the Majestic KSRTC bus stand while preparing to leave for Chennai on Thursday morning, police sources revealed.

The suspect was involved in circulating banned literature and had managed to evade the police until now. He was deeply involved in Maoist activities and was a member of a banned organisation.

Aniruddh had been collecting and raising funds for the banned outfit he worked for and had held secret meetings across the country, according to the police.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had arrived in Bengaluru three to four days ago to meet his girlfriend. The accused carried a fake Aadhaar identity card in the name of Vikas Ghadge.

The police have charged the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and have taken him into custody for further investigation.

According to CCB officials, Rajan is a B.Com graduate and is a key organiser for finances for Maoist activities. The police also learnt that he has a friend in the Indiranagar locality in Bengaluru whose house also was raided and incriminating literature, along with two pen drives and one iPad was seized from him.

Bengaluru's Upparpet police have booked him under the UAPA along with sections under the BNS -- 147, 152, 336, 340; section 35 of the Aadhaar Act, and 66-C of the IT Act. Further investigations are underway.

The Karnataka Police have shared this information with their counterparts in Haryana, and a team from Haryana is expected to arrive to question the accused, sources stated.

However, the official statement is yet to come from the Karnataka Police Department. Police sources maintained that they will conduct a thorough investigation as the Maoist network is active in hilly and coastal districts of Karnataka. The police had earlier detected satellite phone communication from these regions to abroad.

(With inputs from IANS)