Special Correspondent | Pune:
A hardcore Naxalite who had been underground for the last 15 years was arrested in Pune by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The accused has been identified as Prashant Kamble, also known by the alias ‘Laptop’. A resident of Tadiwala Road in Pune, Kamble was previously known for repairing laptops and computers.
According to ATS sources, Kamble went underground in November 2010 after claiming to leave for Mumbai for work. When he failed to return, his family filed a missing person report at Bund Garden Police Station on January 18, 2011.
Investigations revealed that Kamble had been in contact with the Kabir Kala Manch and later joined the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). He, along with another youth, Santosh Shelar, who also went missing from Pune, were later confirmed to be active members of the CPI (Maoist) in the forests of Gadchiroli.
In 2011, another accused, suspected Maoist Angelo Sontakke, was arrested from Thane. Her associates in Pune, including some artists linked with Kabir Kala Manch, were also arrested under charges of being active members of the banned outfit.
It was also found that both Kamble and Shelar worked closely with top Maoist leader Milind Teltumbde, who was killed in an encounter with the Gadchiroli police in November 2021. Shelar returned to Pune in a severely ill condition in January 2024 and was subsequently arrested. Kamble, who had evaded arrest for over a decade, has now finally been caught, marking a major breakthrough for the ATS in their crackdown on urban Naxal networks.
Further investigations are underway.
