A priest arrested from Orissa's Raigada district last Monday has confessed he had supplied explosives to the left wing Maoist guerrillas operating in the region, District Superintendent of Police R K Sharma said on Wednesday.

Balkoteswar Rao was arrested from a temple in Bankili village, Sharma told rediff.com.

Rao told police he had supplied explosives and arms to the rebels on several occasions. He even admitted to having supplied the explosives for the recent bomb blast in the district that damaged a police vehicle and injured 20 police officials.

Rao was closely connected with Maoists organisations such as Peoples' War and Kui Labanga Sangha.

"We have seized detonators and wires from Rao's house," Sharma said. Over 35 people have been arrested across the district for their involvement in subversive activities in the past couple of weeks, he added.