Tamil Nadu Police on Tuesday claimed to have made a major breakthrough in curbing Naxalite activities in the state with the arrest of three persons, including a key leader V Sundaramoorthy, absconding for the last 15 years.

The arrests, made in Pichampalayam Pudur in Tiruppur, followed a tip off from one of the three arrested at Periakulam in Theni district last month, while attempting to set up Maoist arms training camp in the hilly areas there, ADGP Nanjil Kumaran told media persons in Chennai.

While the police could arrest the three, others made a good escape then.

The 39-year-old Left wing extremist leader Sundramoorthy, state secretary, CPI Maoists organisation, was wanted by police in many cases, including the rail track blast case at Dharmapuri in 1992 and attempting to start an arms training camp for extremists in Oothangarai in Dharmapuri district, which is said to be cradle of Naxalite movement in the state.

He was absconding since 1992.

The two others arrested were M Karthi, Ammapettai in Salem district and M Easwaran, Mettupatti in Theni district, he said.

Karthi, a close associate of Sundaramoorthy had aided him in his extremist activities like selecting hide-outs for him and hiding arms and explosives. He was one of the brains behind organising an arms training camp in Periakulam in Theni district, Nanjil Kumaran said, adding that a .315 rifle had been seized in Pallipattu area of Tiruvallur district.

Easwaran was an employee in a private hosiery unit in Tiruppur and was harbouring Sundaramoorthy and Karthi in Tiruppur knowing that they were involved in extremist activities, he said.

The 'Q' branch police was pursuing the Naxal leaders intensely after three persons who were attempting to start a Maoist Arms Training Camp was handed over to the police by the villagers of Periakulam in Theni district on June 25.