Top Odisha Maoist leader held

Bhubaneswar, July 18 (IANS) Odisha's most wanted Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda was nabbed Friday in the state's Ganjam district, police said.

Panda was wanted in more than 50 criminal cases, including the murder of Swami Laxamananda Saraswati and four of his aides in Kandhamal district in 2008 that had triggered communal violence in the region.

Police raided a hideout on the basis of intelligence inputs and nabbed him, Director General of Police Sanjeev Marik told IANS.