Ranchi/Lucknow, Sep 23 : The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday arrested Umesh Kherwar alias Nagina alias Doctor -- one of Jharkhand's most wanted Maoists -- near Lucknow.

A senior police officer from Palamu confirmed the arrest and said Nagina had been on the run since a recent series of deadly encounters in Jharkhand.

The Jharkhand government had recently declared a reward of Rs 5 lakh for him.

Nagina, a resident of Jhalangi village under Dandai police station in Garhwa district of Jharkhand, is accused of involvement in over 25 Maoist-related cases across Palamu, Garhwa, and Latehar districts.

He is the sub-zonal commander of the banned Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) and is considered a close associate of the outfit's supremo, Shashikant Ganjhu.

Police sources said he was directly involved in the September 3 encounter at Manatu in Palamu district, in which two police personnel were killed, and later in the September 14 gun battle at Sildili forest in the same district.

In the Sildili operation, another top Maoist, Mukhdev Yadav -- also carrying a Rs 5 lakh bounty -- was gunned down, while Nagina managed to flee under the forest cover.

According to intelligence reports, Nagina had been hiding in and around Lucknow for the past several days. The UP ATS, which had been monitoring his movements, finally apprehended him on Tuesday.

Officials said he was always armed with an AK-47 and played a crucial role in strategising attacks for the TSPC.

Palamu's Chhatarpur police station in charge, Prashant Prasad, confirmed receiving information about his arrest.

'We are collecting detailed inputs. His interrogation will be vital for unearthing the Maoist network and foiling their future plots,' he said.

Security agencies are now questioning him to gather intelligence on the TSPC's operations, its links with other Maoist outfits, and possible hideouts of its cadres in Jharkhand and neighbouring states.

/IANS