A former Maoist platoon commander, Dinbandhu Patar, who was arrested on Sunday, had left Naxalism as he fell in love and got married, the police said here on Tuesday.
Patar was arrested by the counter-intelligence branch of the Punjab Police and the Special Branch of Jharkhand Police last Sunday. He was working as a labourer here, they said.
“Since the family of the girl was not ready to accept the relationship, she left it and started living with Patar. It was the girl’s love that made him shun Naxalism completely,” a counter-intelligence official from Punjab said.
Patar, wanted in six murder cases, absconded from a Maoist camp in Jharkhand with an INSAS rifle, ammunition and Rs. 2 lakh in cash.
“Before leaving Jharkhand, he hid the ammunition in a village, got married to the girl last December and started working as a labourer here under the fake identity of Suraj Munda,” the official said.
“When his wife got pregnant, he took her to his native Barruhatu village in Jharkhand in February. While leaving the village for Jalandhar, someone recognised him and informed the police and the Maoists,” he said.
The Jharkhand Police started keeping an eye on Patar’s wife and traced his calls. When they questioned her about his whereabouts, she revealed his address, the official added. — PTI
