The arrest of a 52-year-old Maoist suspect here on Monday is expected to lead security agencies to other key cadre operating as sleeper cells in the region. Srinivasan is said to be a State committee member of the banned Left extremist outfit in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Srinivasan was arrested by the Naxal Special Division (NSD) police in Dharmapuri town. The NSD police claimed that Srinivasan was found in possession of seditious literature.
An NSD source told The Hindu that the arrest is seen as a significant development, as Srinivasan is believed to be a key cadre.
‘Underground for 16 years’
He is said to have been underground for over 16 years, and was reportedly operating from a room on Mahadi Road in Bengaluru.
The NSD police recovered four pen drives, chips, and two cell phones from him at the time of the arrest, the source claimed.
According to another source, the arrest could lead security agencies to other key figures operating in the tri-junction area known as a red corridor, bordering the three States.
The arrest happened following intense combing operations by the NSD police here in the wake of a foiled rail sabotage bid in December last.
On December 22, concrete slabs were found on the railway track of the Nagercoil-Dadar Express near Thoppur between Salem and Dharmapuri.
However, the sabotage bid was foiled by an alert loco-pilot, who had slowed down the train after hitting the first few slabs, while others slid off the track.
Tip-offs pointed to sightings of Srinivasan and another former naxal Bhagath Singh in the Mavadi railway station next to Thoppur station.
The recent killing of two Maoists in Wayanad in Kerala is suspected to have been the trigger for the rail sabotage bid.
According to the source, Srinivasan was approached by Bhagath Singh after the killing of Ajitha and Kuppur Devaraj in Wayanad.
