The Pune Police that arrested Mumbai-based lawyers and rights activists Vernon Stanislaus Gonsalves, 61, and Arun Thomas Ferreira, 45, on Friday for their alleged links with the banned organisation CPI (Maoist) and Elgaar Parishad, have claimed that the duo was involved in recruiting research scholars into the revolutionary fold. Gonsalves and Ferreira, who were arrested from their homes in Andheri and Thane respectively, were produced before the special judge Kishor D Vadane under heavy security.

Ujjawala Pawar, the government district pleader said, "A letter seized by the investigating agency reveals that both the accused are involved in recruiting cadres from universities and sending them into guerrilla zone in the forest area. They targetted research scholars, especially youth, and got them to work for the banned movement. These accused persons have received funds and supplied it to the frontal organisation of CPI(M). We need to investigate as to who are the persons from whom the funding was being received."