Ranchi/Kolkata, June 20 (IANS) A key accused in the Maoist sabotage that derailed a train in West Bengal and killed 148 people was arrested from Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district Sunday, police said.
Bapi Mahato was taken into custody from a guest house in the populated area of Adityapur in Jamshedpur, Senior Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar told IANS over telephone from East Singhbhum.
Both the Jharkhand and West Bengal Police jointly caught him after coming to know about his presence in Jamshedpur. He is being interrogated, Kumar said.
Police sources said they had been tracking Mahato’s mobile telephone calls before catching him.
Mahato is the fifth man to be arrested for the May 28 sabotage of rail tracks that derailed the Gyaneshwari Express in West Bengal. Many derailed train coaches were then hit by a goods train when they rolled on to a parallel track.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had announced a reward of Rs.1 lakh for information leading to Mahato’s arrest.
West Bengal Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh earlier told IANS that his men had arrested Mahato.
