The seemingly innocuous 250 boxes of protein powder that the Chhatisgarh Police seized from a man last week was to be delivered to top Maoist leaders who in turn were supposed to distribute it among cadres who would take part in a Tactical Offensive Counter Programme (TCOC) involving long periods of stay in forests. The protein dabbas were apprehended on the way from Mumbai to Chhattisgarh.

According to the police, one Ishwar Patel was apprehended when he was on his way to deliver the boxes to a Maoist camp in the Rajnandangaon district in Chhatisgarhon the border of Maharashtra. Initially the cops were flummoxed as to why Maoist cadres would need protein powder.