Overview

• An NIA team from Kochi and Ranchi, supported by Kerala Police, arrested Sawan Tuti on Monday night in Munnar after weeks of surveillance.
• Tuti had been living at the Godarvilla estate for about 18 months while posing as a plantation labourer, according to police.
• The case stems from the March 2021 IED blast in the Lanji Forest area of West Singhbhum that killed three security personnel and injured three others, including a CRPF officer.
• The NIA says Tuti was chargesheeted as an overground worker for CPI (Maoist), carried a non-bailable warrant and a Rs 20,000 reward, and was found with a phone, SIM cards and identity documents.
• He was taken into custody without resistance, medically examined in Munnar, moved to Kochi for court production, and will be questioned further as the probe to trace other accused continues.