New Delhi: In a significant catch, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) unit of Maharashtra police on May 3 nabbed a wanted Maoist operative who was reported to be absconding for the last 15 years.
The accused identified as Prashant Jalinder Kamble alias ‘Laptop’ is a hardcore follower of the Maoist ideology and a high value target in field of ‘Urban Naxalism’ (a term commonly used to refer urban workers/sympathisers of Maoists) said the Pune unit of the ATS in a press note issued on Sunday.
Kamble was wanted in connection with a case registered against him by the Thane unit of ATS under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2011. He has expertise in repairing computer and laptops and has reportedly undergone armed training after joining the outlawed Maoist group.
Kamble a resident of Pune’s Tadiwala originally was nabbed from Khopoli area of Raigarh district where he was reported to be residing for a past few years. Following his arrest by the Pune unit Kamble was handed over to the Thane unit of the ATS and produced before the court subsequently from where he was sent in police custody for seven days.
Kamble (44) was said to be associated with a Maharashtra based organisation Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), a frontal outfit of the banned CPI (Maoist), according to police. Kamble along with another member of KKM Santosh Vasant Shelar had gone missing in the year 2010, and the duo later joined the CPI (Maoist).
Both Shelar and Kamble along with 14 other members of the KKM were later booked by the police for their alleged links with the banned Maoist group in 2011.
According to details, the duo along with a few others members of the KKM were indoctrinated towards Maoist’s ideology by Angela Sontakke and her husband Milind alias Deepak Teltumbe, a Central Committee (CC) member of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) who was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Gadchiroli in November 2021.
Maharashtra | Pune Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) on May 3 arrested a wanted Naxal operative identified as Prashant Jalindar Kamble alias Laptop (44). He was absconding since 2011. He was handed over to ATS Thane Unit. On May 4, Thane ATS produced him in Mumbai Sessions Court and the… pic.twitter.com/DArU9BbsEJ
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2025
A little over two years after Teltumbe was gunned down in the encounter, the ATS nabbed Shelar from his house in January 2024. Shelar is being tried in multiple cases linked with the activities of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
Elgar Parishad-CPI (Maoist) case
A number of people associated with KKM, a Pune based organisation was booked by the police for their alleged links with the Maoist outfit. Several members of the group were among the key organisers of the Elgar Parishad held at Shaniwar wada in Pune on December 31 which received funds from the proscribed CPI (Maoist), according to the investigation done by the police.
Later on the case was taken up by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) who filed chargesheet against 22 people in August 2021. The agency in the draft charges has accused all the chargesheeted people for threatening Bharat’s sovereignty, integrity and security by conspiring against government or civil authorities/public functionaries, along waging war against Bharat.
According to NIA, a larger conspiracy was hatched by the cadres of the outlawed outfit CPI (Maoist), who were in contact with the organisers of Elgar Parishad held at Shaniwadwada of Pune in December 2017.
Provocative speeches were made at the said Elgar Parishad, prompting enmity between various castes group which led to violence in Bhima-Koregaon village on the next day.
Investigation into the case further revealed that provocative speeches were delivered at the conclave, prompting enmity between caste group which along with other campaigns organised before the event led to the rioting at Bhima Koregaon on January 1.
