One of the main accused in the Jnaneswari Express derailment case, Bapi Mahato, was produced in court at Jhargram on Tuesday and remanded to custody with the Central Bureau of Investigation for 10 days.
Mr. Mahato, who was flown in a helicopter to Midnapore on Monday, was produced in the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate amid very high security.
Police had arrested Mr. Mahato at a guest house in Jamshedpur on Sunday, where he had been staying impersonating his cousin, Biman Mahato, also arrested.
“The investigations have progressed a lot after his arrest. He has provided the names of several persons, including some Maoists,” Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh told The Hindu .
The two of them have been charged under section 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as well as various sections of the Indian Railway Act, Indian Penal Code and the Explosive Substances Act.
Documents and three mobile phones were recovered from them, counsel for the prosecution told journalists at Jhargram.
The CBI had announced a reward of Rs. 1 lakh last week for information on Bapi Mahato.
The reward will be distributed among the officials of the West Bengal police and the Jharkhand police who were involved in the operation, Mr. Singh said.
Reward announced
A reward for information on the whereabouts of two others – Umakant Mahato and Asit Mahato – had also been announced.
They are, however, still at large.
During the day, officials of the district police at Purulia released the names and photographs of four Maoists, with the announcement of an “appropriate reward.”
The lone person who was captured alive in the June 16 encounter between the police and Maoists at Ranja forest in Paschim Medinipur district was also produced in court during the day and remanded to seven-day police custody, Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said.
