Arrested Maoist had hatched plan to flee to Bangladesh

The CPI (Maoist) in West Bengal has successfully developed a coordination system with the ultra-red forces in Bangladesh, arrested Maoist leader Venkateshwar Reddy alias Telugu Dipak has confessed.

Home minister P Chidambaram had warned a few weeks ago about Indian Maoist guerillas having established links with similar groups in neighbouring countries.

Before his arrest, Dipak was coordinating with Bangladeshi rebel group Lal Pataka (Red Flag), a wing of the Purba Banglar (East Bengal’s) Communist Party (Marxist - Leninist).

According to West Bengal director general of police  Bhupinder Singh, Maoists had tried to establish many such networks with terror outfits in India and abroad.

The main purpose behind establishing links with Lal Pataka was to set up subsidiary Maoist bases at the bordering districts of Maldah, Murshidabad and Nadia. “Setting up bases at these bordering districts would have helped them escape to Bangladesh as and when necessary,” a CID official said.

Interrogating Dipak, the CID sleuths came to know that during the third week of February, he had a meeting with two top leaders of Lal Pataka at a secret location at Tehatta in Nadia.