Kolkata, June 20
Bappi Mahato, one of the prime accused in the Gyneshwari superfast train accident on May 28 near Jhargram, West Midnapore, in which 148 passengers had been killed, was arrested today from a private guest house at Jamshedpur. His relative Bimal Mahato along with his wife was also arrested.

But the two other accused Ashit Mahato and Umakanto Mahato were still at large.

Earlier, three other, Khagen Mahato, Hiralal Mahato and Samir Mahato, were also arrested. Bappi and arrested others are stated to be the active members of the Maoist-backed People’s Committee Against Police Action (PCPA). After the arrest, Bappi was handed over to the CBI, now inquiring into the disastrous train accident caused allegedly due to the Maoists action.

Two days ago, the joint action force also killed eight Maoists in the Jangalmahal in an encounter and their bodies had been recovered. After conducting raids in the jungle, AK -47, rifles, pistols, detonators and other explosives were also seized from a hideout.

But Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, at whose insistence the CBI probe was ordered by Home Minister P Chidambaram, still expressed doubt if the Maoists were behind the Gyneshwari train accident.

She felt some local criminals, backed by the CPI(M), might have caused the sabotage for discrediting her ahead of the civic polls on May 30. She believed the CBI inquiry would unravel the truth.

However, DGP Bhupender Singh maintained that the PCPA had executed the Gyneshwari train accident plan at the instance of the Maoists.