Ranchi, Oct 16 (IANS) A couple in Jharkhand, arrested for allegedly having links with the Maoists, have been remanded in three days of police custody, an official said Friday.
“We have taken the couple for three days of police remand. We will interrogate them about the activities of the Maoists in the state,” Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police Manoj Kausik told IANS by phone.

Ravi Sharma, 49, pursuing doctorate from a Delhi university, and his wife B. Anuradha, 45, a clerk in a bank, were arrested Thursday. Police seized a laptop, compact disk and other materials from them.

Asked about his involvement in the killing of special branch inspector Francis Induwar, the official said: “He (Sharma) is a high-ranking Maoist rebel and it is not possible that Francis could have been killed without his knowledge. He was directly or indirectly involved in the killing of Francis.”

Francis was abducted Sep 30 and his beheaded body was found Oct 5 on the Ranchi-Jamshedpur national highway.

According to police, the couple came to Bihar in 1997. Sharma is known by different names like Arjun, Mahesh and Ashok. He is a member of the Bihar Jharkhand Special Action Committee (BJSAC).

Sharma is also linked to the central monitoring committee of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist. His wife is the president of Nari Mukti Sangh.