“I went to Midnapore and handed over the prize money to the team of police officers who arrested the prime accused, Bapi Mahato, and the three villagers whose information led to his arrest,” said Bengal DGP Bhupinder Singh. Two other accused, on whom the CBI has also announced a similar prize money, are still absconding.

The Jhargram ACJM court, meanwhile, remanded Bapi Mahato and his relative Bimal Mahato, who the police said were arrested in Jamshedpur a couple of days ago, in CBI custody for 10 days , though the investigating agency had asked for 14 days.

Kaushik Sinha, defence counsel of the two, said: “My clients were not given any chance to speak in front of the magistrate. The police have seized a mobile phone and train ticket from Bapi Mahato and three mobile phones from Bimal Mahato. Seizure of these kinds of articles can never be evidence for implicating two persons in this case.”

Moreover, he said: “Bapi has told me that he was not picked up from the guest house at Adityapur (in Jamshedpur). He was picked up from a place in West Midnapore district only.”

In a separate hearing in a Midnapore court, Rameswar Murmu, who was arrested from Duli following an encounter between the Maoists and the security forces a few days ago, has been remanded in seven days police custody. West Midnapore SP Manoj Verma said: “The magistrate was convinced that Rameswar was neither deaf and dumb nor mentally challenged as reported in a section of the media. He answered all the questions asked by the magistrate.”

Inspired by the CBI’s move of releasing posters of the accused, the Purulia district police have released posters of four Maoist squad members active in Purulia and Bankura districts.