Key accused in Jnaneswari derailment arrested

Kolkata/Jamshedpur: A top activist of the Maoist-backed PCPA who was named as one of the three key accused in the May 28 Jnaneswari Express derailment was arrested near Jamshedpur by a joint police team on Sunday.

Bapi Mahto and his cousin Vimal Mahto were picked up from 'Rai' guest house at Adityapur in the Saraikela-Kharswan district adjoining Jamshedpur, SP Abhisekh Kumar said.

Vimal was arrested for harbouring Bapi, Kumar said.

The team from West Bengal and Jharkhand received a tip-off that Bapi was hiding near Jamshedpur.

PCPA denies hand in West Bengal train derailment

The arrested will be produced in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court in Saraikela-Kharswan district to procure order for their transit remand, Kumar said.

Jhargram SP Pravin Tripathy said they would be produced in a Jhargram court as soon as the transit remand was procured.

The breakthrough came three days after the CBI named Bapi and Umakant Mahto, senior PCPA activists, and PCPA convenor Asit Mahto as the main accused and announced a reward of Rs one lakh each for information leading to their arrest.

Yesterday, the CBI and West Bengal police arrested Bholanath Mahato, who was believed to have been present when the Mumbai-bound express train derailed killing 148 passengers from Khemasuli area in Kharagpur.

On June 15 the CBI had arrested PCPA leader Hiralal Mahato from Rasua village, who had used a van to ferry the saboteurs to the railway tracks on May 27, hours before the disaster.