Suspected woman Maoist arrested in capital

Soni Sori, a primary school teacher and an aunt of Lingaram Kodopi who was recently arrested for allegedly acting as a conduit between Maoists and Essar, was apprehended from Katwaria Sarai by a team of Delhi Police. "We raided the premises on a tip off provided by Chhattisgarh Police and arrested Sori," a senior police official said.

Sori hails from the naxal affected Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh. Five cases were registered against Sori in Chhattisgarh and she has been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. She was produced before a Duty Magistrate who send her to judicial custody for a day.

Chhattisgarh Police had yesterday raided the house of rights activist Kavita Srivastava in Jaipur to apprehend Sori but could find her there, sources said. In July last year, Chhattisgarh Police had issued warrants against Sori, her husband and Kodopi for an attack on a Congress worker Avdesh Gautam and his son.

Sori had earlier contested police version of Kodopi`s arrest claiming that he was picked up by plainclothes policemen in a white Bolero car from his grandfather`s house in Palnar village and not while carrying money for Maoists.