Lalgarh (West Bengal), June 28 (Inditop.com) Two suspected Maoist rebels were arrested Sunday and seven landmines defused by the security forces conducting an operation to flush out the leftwing ultras from in and around this troubled area of West Bengal.
Two of the landmines were discovered on the roadside near Kargil junction at Sarenga in neighbouring Bankura district, said Inspector General of Police Raj Kanojia.
A few minutes after recovering the mines, police nabbed the two men, who were hiding in a nearby bush.
“We have picked up the two men. They are now being questioned. We are probing their Maoist links,” Kanojia told IANS.
Five more landmines were unearthed at Binpur of West Midnapore district, he said.
Lalgarh has been on the boil since November when a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and then central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.
Complaining of police atrocities after the blast, angry tribals backed by Maoists launched an agitation, virtually cutting off the area from the rest of West Midnapore district. Security forces launched a massive operation earlier this month to flush out Maoist guerrillas from Lalgarh, 200 km west of the state capital Kolkata.
The Moists are active in three western districts of the state – West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.
