The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad has arrested a Pune man from Raigad district who was absconding for over 13 years in a case linked to Naxal activity
Kamble was apprehended from the Khopoli area of Raigad district, where he had reportedly been residing under the radar for the past six to seven years. (Representational Pic)
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a 44-year-old man from Raigad district for his alleged involvement in a decade-old case connected to Naxalite activity, PTI reports. Identified as Prashant Jalinder Kamble, also known by the alias ‘Laptop’, the accused had been on the run for over a decade and was declared absconding by the court.
Kamble was apprehended from the Khopoli area of Raigad district, where he had reportedly been residing under the radar for the past six to seven years. During this period, he is believed to have been engaged in teaching tribal children in the locality, effectively maintaining a low profile.
The ATS stated that Kamble, originally from the Tadiwala Road area of Pune, was trained in repairing computers and laptops. He allegedly came into contact with the Kabir Kala Manch, a Pune-based cultural group that has previously been under scrutiny for suspected affiliations with Naxal ideology. Following his departure from home in 2010, ostensibly for work in Mumbai, Kamble reportedly never returned, and later disappeared altogether.
As per PTI, Kamble, along with another Pune resident named Santosh Shelar, who had also vanished in the same period, went on to join the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and were believed to be operating in the dense jungles of Gadchiroli district. In a development earlier this year, Shelar re-emerged in Pune in a deteriorating physical condition and was taken into custody by the ATS in January 2024.
Kamble had been named in a First Information Report (FIR) dating back to 2011, alongside prominent Maoist leaders Milind Teltumbde and Angela Sontakke. Teltumbde, a top leader of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), was killed in an encounter with security forces in Gadchiroli in 2021.
Following the filing of the 2011 case, Kamble was declared a proclaimed offender by the court. A non-bailable warrant was issued against him, along with a proclamation notice.
Based on credible intelligence, the Pune unit of the ATS tracked him to Khopoli and detained him for verification. Upon confirmation of his identity, he was formally arrested. Officials have described Kamble as a “high-value” individual and a staunch adherent of Maoist ideology.
Kamble was subsequently produced before a Mumbai court, which remanded him in the custody of the ATS until 13 May.
(With inputs from PTI)
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