<p>Abhay Devdas Nayak<br></p>

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh police on Tuesday announced the arrest of an "urban Naxal" - a Bengaluru-based techie, who was a member of the Maoist IT cell and a spokesperson of the banned organisation .

Calling it a major success, police said the suspect, 34-year-old Abhay Devdas Nayak, has links with several international agencies and has travelled to more than 15 countries. Analysis of laptops, pen drives and hard disk seized from his Bangalore residence reveal that Abhay was in touch with activist Rona Wilson - who was arrested on June 6 - and Maoist leaders such as Gudsa Usendi, Vikalp, Shashi Patnaik of Odisha and many foreigners, say police.

Bastar police had issued a look-out notice against Abhay in May 2017. He was arrested in Delhi on June 1, 2018 on his return to India, said sources. He was handed over to Bastar police and taken on remand.

"Bastar police have arrested an urban Naxal, Abhay Devdas Nayak, who came from Bangalore to propagate Maoist ideology. This is a big success for us. On interrogation, he admitted to working for Maoists," Bastar police tweeted along with his photograph.

Abhay alias Lodda used to issue press releases and promote Maoist ideology on social media to influence youth, police said. His name first cropped up with another Maoist spokesperson, Vikalp, in 2013 during an IED recovery in Darbha region of Bastar. Police had found some Maoist literature from the spot.

Following the lead, police found that Abhay was active on social media - promoting Maoist propaganda via blogs, press notes and articles - while hiding his identity. He would interact with Maoist sympathisers, anti-nationals and anti-police groups to exchange ideas, said an officer.

IG (Bastar range) Vivekananda Sinha and SP D Srawan said the state intelligence branch and Bastar police kept tabs on Abhay for one and a half years and learnt that he was a frequent traveller to countries like United Kingdom, France, Russia, Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico and Nepal .

After the success of his blogs, he was made part of Co-ordination Committee of Maoists Party and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA) and visited socially and economically backward countries.

IG Sinha said Abhay is an expert in technology and gadgets and considering his ideological strength, Maoists gave him responsibility of the propaganda bureau. While investigation is still underway, police have found documents to indicate Abhay had opened a micro-finance company in 2008 and a blog "for some criminal activity".

Abhay had travelled to Bastar twice and it can't be denied that he would have met senior Maoist leaders, police said.

