In a major breakthrough in the ongoing nationwide crackdown against Maoists, Tamil Nadu’s Q Branch CID, in coordination with Kerala’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), successfully apprehended two most-wanted Maoists from their hideouts in Chennai and Krishnagiri. The arrests mark a significant blow to the underground network of the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), which has been strengthening its presence in the Western Ghats region.
In a high-stakes operation on February 21, the Q Branch CID arrested Karthick alias Chinna Karthick, a native of Theni district, from Chennai. According to sources, Karthick had been evading arrest since 2011 and was actively involved in strengthening the Maoist movement in the tri-junction region of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Intelligence inputs had long suggested that Maoists were using remote forested areas in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh as hubs for clandestine activities, including arms training and planning sabotage operations.
A police statement confirmed the arrest, stating: “Based on intelligence inputs, Q Branch CID officials arrested one Karthick @ Chinna Karthick @ Pannapuram Karthick @ Rajesh @ Kumar @ Goutham Karthick in Chennai. Karthick, a native of Theni district, joined the banned CPI (Maoist) party and has been absconding since 2011. He was actively involved in advancing the objectives of this proscribed organisation.”
Q Branch CID of #TamilNadu police arrested
Karthick @ Chinna Karthick in Chennai. A native of Theni, he went absconding in 2011 after joining CPI (Maoist), a proscribed organisation. He allegedly underwent arms training, indulged in unlawful
activities says @tnpoliceoffl pic.twitter.com/wgWMA5Y60a— Vijay Kumar S (@vijaythehindu) February 22, 2025
Further, the statement detailed that Karthick had been operating in multiple states, including Tamil Nadu, engaging in unlawful activities to support the Maoist ideology. After joining CPI (Maoist), he underwent arms training in Kerala’s forest areas, intending to bolster the party’s influence in the Western Ghats region. His name had also surfaced in an NIA Kochi case, linking him to extremist operations.
Following his arrest, a fresh case (Cr.No.02/2025) was registered against him by Q Branch CID in Chennai. He was produced before a judicial magistrate and remanded to custody on February 22.
Tamil Nadu DGP Shankar Jiwal commended the Q Branch CID officers for successfully capturing Karthick, who had been on the radar of intelligence agencies for years.
The crackdown continued on February 22 with the arrest of Maoist cadre Santhosh Kumar, who was known by several aliases, including Vargeese Ravi and Raja. He was apprehended in Hosur, Krishnagiri district, in an operation led by Kerala ATS.
Santhosh had been an active member of the CPI (Maoist) armed squad for over 11 years and was a close associate of senior Maoist leaders CP Moideen, Soman, and Manoj, all of whom were arrested last year. Following their capture, Santhosh had shifted to Tamil Nadu, attempting to evade law enforcement. However, acting on a tip-off, ATS officials successfully nabbed him in Krishnagiri.
According to officials, “Santhosh was a wanted fugitive in multiple Maoist-related cases in Kerala. After the arrests of his associates, he went underground and relocated to Tamil Nadu. Based on intelligence inputs, he was arrested from Hosur.”
Santhosh was produced before the Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court on February 22 and was remanded to judicial custody. He was transported under tight security and escorted by an armed police contingent.
Authorities revealed that Santhosh was a member of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), Kabanidalam, a Maoist unit that operated in the Wayanad forest region. With his arrest, Kerala Police and ATS claim to have neutralised the last remaining active Maoist cadre in the state, as several others have either been arrested or eliminated in encounters over the past few years.
The Maoist insurgency in South India gained momentum in 2011 with the formation of the Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee, covering strategic forested regions in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. It was designated as the fourth major Maoist “Guerrilla Zone” in India, alongside:
North Telangana Special Zonal Committee
Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee
Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee
The insurgency further escalated in 2014 following the merger of CPI (Maoist) with CPI-ML (Naxalbari), a radical Maoist faction from Kerala. That same year, Maoists launched a Political-Military Campaign (PMC), targeting ten strategic locations to mark the 10th anniversary of the party’s formation.
Authorities believe that with the recent arrests of Karthick and Santhosh, Maoist operations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have suffered a major setback. However, the intelligence network remains vigilant, as underground Maoist sympathisers continue to regroup and attempt to expand their influence in remote regions.
Both Karthick and Santhosh are currently being interrogated to uncover potential sleeper cells, Maoist sympathisers, and their funding sources. Intelligence agencies suspect that there may still be underground Maoist elements in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and additional crackdowns are expected in the coming months.
The latest arrests reaffirm the commitment of law enforcement agencies to dismantling extremist networks and ensuring the security of the Western Ghats region against left-wing insurgency.
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