Thirteen persons with suspected Naxal connections were picked up for questioning by police from a private school near Kundrathur, where they were allegedly attending a training session.
Q Branch sources said Duraisingavelu, allegedly the chief’ of People’s War, Tamil Nadu, was among them. As news spread that some Naxals have been caught, local police officials denied they were Naxals and said they were only picked up for an inquiry.
Meanwhile, Q Branch sources claimed that based on a tip-off, the 13-member group was caught by a team led by Superintendent of Police Sampath Kumar when a 'training campaign on the current political scenario' was going on in one of the floors of the private school, near Kundrathur bus stand.
The group included persons from Tiruvannamalai, Namakkal, Villupuram and Salem, police sources said and added that the training was allegedly conducted by Duraisingavelu, who was earlier arrested under Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002.
Police sources also said that they suspect the school could have been taken on rent after giving false details regarding the training programme.
It may be recalled that in the May this year, Q Branch sleuths had arrested Vivek (29), the state secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned outfit, at Shenoy Nagar after he allegedly failed to appear in court in connection with the case relating to providing arms training to members of his outfit.