On May 15, three Maoists-cum-Trinamool workers — Lutfur Rehman, Soumen Mondol and Satarupa Jana - had been arrested from Khejuri. According to the police, Das belongs to the same group.

A police team raided Satkhondo village yesterday and picked up Das from his residence. He was produced before the Contai ACJM court today and remanded to police custody. During the raid, the police recovered a number of live and used cartridges, Maoist literatures and five detonators.

“We are not ruling out that the Maoists are planning to explode mines at strategic locations in East Midnapore, including Haripur,” said a senior officer.

The police said that Das was an important member of the Maoists in East Midnapore. “He was the man who used to organise meetings for Maoists in various parts of East Midnapore, including Haripur. The entire Maoist faction worked under the garb of KMJJARC. He also arranged for the meeting of top Maoist leader of East Midnapore, Narayan, in Khejuri-Nandigram belt,” said a top district police officer.

Interestingly, in 2007 Das was also an active leader of Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee in Nandigram. Das is also linked to the murder of Nishikanto Mondol, Trinamool panchayat Pradhan in Nandigram, as well as a bid on the life of another Upo-Pradhan — both handiwork of Maoists. Mondol was shot dead in Nandigram on September 22, 2009.

According to the police, after interrogating the arrested group, it was revealed that Maoists were planning mine explosions in the area to highlight their existence outside Jungalmahal.