Pune, May 14 (PTI) The arrest of 16 suspected Naxals in Pune region over the past few days has prompted authorities to step up vigil in nine police station areas covering the adjacent semi-rural belts in order to prevent the movement from taking roots in Western Maharashtra.
The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) recently nabbed the Naxal suspects, who included Angela Sontakke, a 42-year-old woman, for alleged nexus with the Naxalite network operating in Maharashtra.
The arrest of the Naxals has given rise to fear that the movement which had so far remained confined largely to Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts in Vidarbha, bordering Andhra Pradesh was slowly spreading to other parts of the state.
Angela, who reportedly headed the "Golden Corridor" unit of the Naxals shared an accommodation with one of her female accomplices at Pirangut, about 20 km from here.