Thiruvananthapuram: Maoist leader C P Moideen, accused in 36 criminal cases, was arrested by Kerala police' Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Alappuzha district of the state on Friday.
According to a statement issued by the State Police Media Centre (SPMC), 49-year-old Moideen was nabbed from Mararikulam in Alappuzha district while he was travelling on a KSRTC bus.
He is the Kerala in-charge of the CPI(Maoist), SPMC said.
The police were waiting for him based on information that he would be travelling from Kollam to Thrissur on a KSRTC bus, the statement said.
He was arrested in a case lodged against him and three others for operating a banned organisation and going to Ambayathod junction in Kannur district with guns, it said.
It also said that Moideen, a native of Malappuram district, had been absconding since 2014 after being accused in various cases.
He had lost his right hand while handling explosives during operations in Naxalbari, the police said.
Moideen's brother C P Jaleel, who was also a CPI(Maoist) leader, was killed in an encounter with police in Vythiri, Wayanad district, in 2019, it said.
His two other brothers, C P Rasheed and C P Ismail, are also accused in cases related to Maoist activities, police said.