In a major catch, the Bihar police on Friday evening nabbed three top Central Committee members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) from a village in Bihar's Katihar district.
This is the first time such a big catch of top Maoist policy-makers has been effected in the State.
In all, seven persons, including six Naxalites and an active sympathiser, were arrested during the course of the day-long operation jointly executed by a Special Task Force team and the Katihar police.
Prominent among them are Varanasi Subramanyam (58), known by his aliases Shrikant and Vimal, Secretary of the North Regional Bureau who was on the wanted list of the Andhra Pradesh police for the last five years.
He carries a Rs. 12 lakh reward on his head.
Pulendu Mukherjee (69), known by his aliases Jhantu Mukherjee and Sahab Da, is the Secretary of the Eastern Regional Bureau which includes Chhattisgarh. He had been appointed in-charge of the Urban Sub-Committee (USCOM), spearheading party activities in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.
Vijay Kumar Arya (50), wanted in 12 cases in Bihar, was the third important member of the trio and the all-India in-charge of the Sub-Committee of Mass Organisation (SUCOMO).
According to the Hyderabad Police and based on the confessional statement of top Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy, the three were wanted in 17 cases of murder, arson and criminal conspiracy in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Bihar.
