Suspected Naxal arrested in Ahmedabad

Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), Ahmedabad on Monday arrested an alleged Naxalite, Sagar Kutapatti, from his house in Ghodasar area of the city. Ostensibly working with a city-based NGO, he is said to have been a planner of Naxal activities in urban areas of the state and was allegedly associated with the arrested Naxal leader, Surya Devra.

Inspector general of police, Surat range, AK Singh told DNA that Kutapatti's name cropped up during the interrogation of Devra. “Devra named him and after his statement, we worked to find out corraborative evidence against him before his arrest. We have also recorded the statements of over 20 people in this regard,” Singh told DNA.

The investigations lasted over a month, the IGP said. According to primary police investigation, Kutapatti was an urban planner of the Red brigade, operating as the underground operator.

However, sources close to Kutapatti and his family told DNA he has been named wrongly. They said he has been trapped only because he was once connected to the migrant workers' trade union in Surat.

He shifted to Ahmedabad in 2006, learned operating computers and secured a job in an NGO, Darshan. The managing trustee of Darshan, Hiren Gandhi, told DNA that Kutapatti was working as a computer operator in his office since 2006, but his activities never aroused suspicion.

Based on the tip-off provided by the Inspector general, Surat range, AK Singh, the DCB traced Shrinivas alias Kishore alias Sagar Sanaiyya Venkatiyya Kutapatti from his residence in Jaideep Apartments at Ghodasar. Additional commissioner of police, DCB, MJ Chavda told reporters that Kutappatti was working with a city-based NGO for the last few years, and had been married to a city-based woman.

Chavda said that Kutapatti was arrested in connection with a complaint related to Naxal activities filed in Kamraj police station under the jurisdiction of Surat Rural police. He is the 12th person to be arrested in this case.