Alappuzha: Maoist leader and the only remaining link of Kabani Dal, C P Moideen, was captured by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from Alappuzha KSRTC bus stand. 

Acting on a tip off that Moideen had reached Angamaly the other day and then shifted to another place, the ATS had extended its search to Alappuzha and Ernakulam.

Within the past ten days, two other Maoists of the Kabani Dal were also nabbed by the ATS. Out of them, Soman was arrested from Shoranur on July 27 while Manoj from Kochi on July 18. Santosh, another member of the group, is learned to be hiding in Coimbatore.

Another group member from Kerala is Jisha of Wayanad. She belongs to Vikram Gowda's group based at Virajpet in Karnataka. The police had earlier confirmed that only Moideen, who is working as part of the Kabani Dal, is currently in the state.

Earlier, the activities of Maoists were divided into four areas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu namely Nadukanidalam, Shiruvanidalam, Banasuradalam and Kabanidalam. The activities of other groups came to a halt after the activists were killed in continuous clashes with the counter-terrorism forces.

Banasuradalam was working closely with Kabanidalam. Meanwhile, Lijesh, another Maoist activist, got ready to surrender and rehabilitated. Information from Maoists who were arrested from many places also helped the police.

A group of Maoists moved to Karnataka after clashes with the police and anti-terrorist forces at Kappikalam and Chapparat in Wayanad and Ayyankunnu in Kannur. Later there were only four people left under Moideen’s leadership  in Pereya-Aralam-Kottiyoor forest areas.

The Anti-terrorist forces, after finding out that the Maoists were entering into direct fights with the seizure of land mines from Makkimala, had tightened the inspection. At the same time, the group left the forest area following low public support and heavy rains. 

The police, on the other hand, had received travel details of the Maoists from Ambayathode through Iritty in Kannur on July 17. Following which they arrested three activists.