Pune Man Linked to Maoists Arrested After 15 Years in Hiding
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 5th May 2025: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a suspected Maoist operative, Prashant Jalindar Kamble (43), also known as “Laptop,” ending a 15-year-long search. Kamble was arrested from Charholi, near Alandi, on Saturday evening and handed over to the Thane ATS unit on Sunday. He was remanded to police custody by a special court until May 13.
Kamble, a resident of Tadiwala Road in Pune, had been wanted in a 2008 extortion case registered in Thane. He was declared absconding by a Thane court in 2011 and had managed to evade arrest for over a decade by living under a false identity in Khopoli, Raigad district. According to officials, he had been working there as a teacher, reportedly giving lessons to children from tribal communities.
Kamble was formerly associated with the cultural group Kabir Kala Manch, suspected to be a front organization for Maoists, and had worked as a computer and laptop repair technician in Pune. He reportedly left home on November 15, 2010, telling his family he was headed to Mumbai for work but never returned. His family later filed a missing person’s report at Bundgarden Police Station on January 18, 2011.
The ATS investigation into a 2011 case involving the arrest of alleged Maoist Angelo Sontakke in Thane had first revealed Kamble’s suspected links to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Authorities believe he went underground with fellow Pune resident Santosh Shelar, both of whom allegedly operated in the Maoist-dominated forests of Gadchiroli under the command of senior Maoist leader Milind Teltumbde.
“Kamble earned the alias ‘Laptop’ for his technical expertise, which was reportedly used by Maoist cadres for communication and documentation,” the official added.
Milind Teltumbde, who was also named in the same UAPA case, was killed in an encounter with Gadchiroli police in November 2021. Shelar, meanwhile, was arrested earlier in Pune after returning home due to illness.
Several others linked to the same case, including artists associated with Kabir Kala Manch, were arrested in the past under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Many are currently out on bail, while three individuals were later arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad–Bhima Koregaon case in 2020.
The ATS has now resumed its probe into Kamble’s alleged role in Maoist activities both in forest zones and urban networks. Further interrogation and investigation are ongoing.
