West Bengal police arrest long-sought Maoist Asim Mandal in Patashpur
India
After more than 15 years' search, West Bengal police finally caught Asim Mandal, better known as Akash, a top Maoist leader, in Purba Medinipore's Patashpur.
The state's chief minister called the arrest a big step in tackling extremist groups and said it shows the government is serious about keeping things safe.
Asim Mandal had 2.2cr bounty
Akash has been a key figure in CPI (Maoist) since the 1980s and took over as Bengal's chief after Kishenji's death in 2011.
He mostly operated from forest areas across states and had a ₹2.2 crore bounty on his head from Jharkhand and Odisha.
His arrest follows recent crackdowns on other Maoist leaders, signaling that authorities are stepping up efforts against such groups.