Calcutta, Sept. 17: Two suspected Maoists, including a woman from Nandigram who allegedly received arms training during the anti-land acquisition movement of 2007, have been arrested in Purulia with firearms.

The action comes at a time the Centre is planning to withdraw most security force personnel from the former rebel hotbeds in Bengal.

Police said they had rounded up Kabita Gorai, 27, and Panchanan Mahato, 28, from Hanumata Bridge on the Tata-Purulia Road in Balarampur around 4.30pm yesterday.

Sources, however, claimed that Panchanan had been picked up from Dimla in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district, adjoining Purulia, on September 11 and Kabita was arrested on the basis of information provided by him.

"The duo had been under our scanner for their Maoist links," an officer said. "Kabita is the sister-in-law of Ranjit Pal, one of the top five Maoist leaders in Bengal."

The police said two improvised revolvers had been seized from Kabita and Panchanan.

The twin arrests came to light 24 hours after the Bengal police shared information with their Jharkhand counterparts on the activities of five Maoist leaders from Bengal who are apparently hiding in the neighbouring state.

Some police officers believe the arrests could strengthen the Bengal government's arguments against the withdrawal of central force personnel from Jungle Mahal because of its proximity to Jharkhand, where Maoists are still active.

"It is true that Maoist activities have come down significantly in Jungle Mahal. But the threat remains in Bengal because of its proximity to Jharkhand," an officer said.

Since there have been no Maoist strikes in Bengal in the past five years, the Centre has decided to withdraw 22 companies of the central forces from the state and de-notify West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia as Left-wing extremism-affected districts.

However, the police believe that the Maoists are regrouping in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and may return to Jungle Mahal soon.

Most Maoists had fled Bengal after guerrilla leader Kishan was killed in an encounter with the security forces in 2011. But bomb hauls in West Midnapore in the past one month have raised suspicion that the rebels are regrouping in Bengal.

An intelligence branch officer said that Maoist sympathisers in Jungle Mahal had become active over the past few months and were extending support to rebel leaders who have allegedly been visiting the area frequently and holding meetings.

Sources said Kabita and Panchanan had fled Bengal and joined the Maoist squad in Jharkhand after Kishan's death.

"They had been lying low and concentrating on training new recruits and providing logistics support," an officer said.

Sources from a central intelligence agency said Kabita and her sister Anita were from Sonachura in Nandigram, East Midnapore.

"They received arms training from the Maoists at Garchakraberia in Nandigram during the anti-land acquisition movement. Kabita was an understudy of Telugu Dipak, a Maoist leader who is now in jail. After the Maoists left Nandigram in November 2007, the two sisters accompanied them," a source said. "Kabita and Anita then joined the squad of Maoist leader Bikram in Purulia."

Panchanan, who hails from Purulia, was allegedly a member of the Ayodhya Hill squad.