Raipur: In a major breakthrough, police on Monday arrested senior Maoist leader Prabhakar alias B. Narayan Rao, in charge of the Naxals’ supply chain in five states and carrying a bounty of Rs 25 lakh, in Kanker district in the north Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
Prabhakar, hailing from Telangana, is the cousin of Ganapathy, Maoists’ politburo member and former general secretary, and a close associate of the outfit’s current head Basavaraju.
Prabhakar was in charge of the Maoists’ supply chain in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, and West Bengal.
“He has close links with top level Maoist leaders such as Basavaraju, K. Ramchandra Reddy alias Raju, Devji alias Kuma Dada, Kosa, Sonu, and Mallaraja Reddy alias Sangram,” Bastar range inspector general of police P. Sunderraj told this newspaper.
Prabhakar was a member of the Maoists’ powerful Dandakaranya special zonal committee and a senior member of the North Bastar zonal bureau.
His wife Raje Kange is a divisional committee member who has been given charge of the Rowghat area committee that functions in north Kanker.
“Prabhakar’s movements had been noticed in Kanker district for the last few days. Police sealed Antagarh in Kanker district following inputs on his presence in the area and arrested him”, Sunderraj said.
A senior police officer said that Prabhakar’s interrogation may provide vital clues on the whereabouts of top Maoist leaders.
Prabhakar, 57, hails from Beerpur in Telangana and joined the Maoist cadre in 1984.
He had been in charge of Maoists’ supply chain and mobile political school (MPOS) in DKSZC area jurisdiction since 2008.