Arun Bhelke admits he is area commander of Golden Corridor

Arun Bhelke

During interrogation of the alleged Maoist, Arun Bhelke alias Rajan, he has revealed to be the area commander of the Golden Corridor - the stretch from Gujarat to western Maharashtra - and is operating between Pune and Mumbai. Bhelke admitted that his primary objective is to recruit young men, aged between 18 to 22 years in his team.

Arun Bhelke and his wife, Kanchan Ranavare, have been remanded in police custody till September 9. File pic

Reportedly known as a top operative of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Maoist, Bhelke was arrested by the Pune unit of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on September 1. Bhelke has made frequent visits to the city in the last one year, and met one Subham Jagtap. However, the details of the duo's interaction is yet to be confirmed by the investigation team.

Speaking to mid-day, Bhanupratap Barge, senior police inspector of ATS, said, "During interrogation, Bhelke has revealed that he is the area commander operating between Mumbai and Pune. In order to target young men, he would frequently visit Pune and for the last 15 days, Bhelke and his wife, Kanchan Ranavare, were staying at her residence in Jadhav chawl." Ranavare was also arrested on September 2 from her house.

"Our aim right now is to track his activity in Pune and find out about the people he interacted with in the city to brainwash them into becoming a member of the Golden Corridor," added Barge.

Fake IDs
According to police, Bhelke also confirmed that he got the Pan card and Aadhar card made under different names, Aditya Suresh Patil for himself and Sonali Aditya Patil for his wife, from Chembur. An ATS team has left for Mumbai to gather more information about the fake IDs on Thursday. Cops are expecting to get more vital clues from Bhelke and his wife, who have been remanded in police custody till September 9.