Surat police arrest former journalist for Maoist links

Niranjan Mahapatra was produced before a local court on Wednesday,which sent him to police remand for 10 days. Surat Range IG A K Singh said,“We are keeping a close watch in the region. We are investigating to find out his (Mahapatra’s) associates.”

The Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested Mahapatra,who was once a freelance journalist,following a tip-off. The police claimed to have found several incriminating documents and books in Oriya related to Maoist movements from his rented accommodation at Jagannath Nagar. They refused to divulge more details

Neighbours told the police that Mahapatra would rarely interact with them and many times his house remained locked for 15-20 days. According to the police,he earlier worked as a freelance journalist in Oriya newspapers. He is also believed to be associated with workers’ unions.

The police said that he used to visit demolition sites in slums,networking with the affected there. He is believed to be residing in Surat for the last five years,but his current source of income is yet to be ascertained.

This is third such arrest from Surat. Earlier,the Andhra Pradesh Police had arrested a woman from the Limbayat area,while three others were arrested by the Chhattisgarh Police from the Hazira industrial belt.

In a recent report,the Intelligence Bureau had warned that Maoists might take shelter in cities like Surat,Vadodara and Ahmedabad.