Raipur, Oct 12 (PTI) Six Maoists, including three women, collectively carrying a reward of Rs 35 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Monday, while a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered from a Maoist dump in neighbouring Sukma, officials said.
Of the six surrendered cadres, four were active in neighbouring Odisha, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Umesh Prasad Gupta said.
They laid down arms after being influenced by the Chhattisgarh government’s ‘Naxalite Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy’ and rehabilitation initiatives being implemented in Bijapur, Gupta said.
“They also cited the growing influence of security forces, the weakened organisational structure of the outlawed outfit, disillusionment with its violent and anti-people ideology, successful rehabilitation of former Maoists and rapid development in tribal areas as reasons for joining the mainstream,” the IPS officer said.
Rani Sodhi alias Sandhya (30), her husband Santosh Kudiyam alias Sukku (27), and Pando Podiyam alias Sasmita (28) were active as PPCM (Platoon Party Committee Member) in Company No. 8 of the Odisha state unit and carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each, he said.
Kosa Madvi (30), a PPCM in Company No. 2 of the Chhattisgarh unit, carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh, while Deve Madkam alias Janni (22), a party member in the Odisha state unit, carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh. Lalu Tati (25), active as party member in the Gangaloor area of Bijapur rpt Bijapur, had a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head, the SP said.
They hail from different districts of Bastar region and were allegedly involved in various attacks on security forces in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, Gupta said.
“They will be provided financial assistance, skill development training, housing, education and support for self-employment and jobs to help them rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society under the rehabilitation policy,” he added.
In a separate development, security forces on Monday recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives concealed by Maoists in a forested area of Sukma district in the past.
Acting on intelligence inputs received from the surrendered Maoists, a joint team of the district police, District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters launched an area-domination and search operation in the hilly forest region of Palachalma village under Kistaram police station limits, an official said.
The recovered items included two .303 rifles, one single-shot firearm, four barrel grenade launcher (BGL), three 12-bore rifles, two muzzle-loading guns, one country-made pistol, three INSAS magazines with 26 live rounds, 20 live rounds of 12-bore ammunition, one arrow bomb, two BGL shells, one wireless set and 208 non-electric detonators.
Chhattisgarh was declared free from armed Maoist presence on March 31 this year. Since then, security forces have intensified search and area-domination operations across the seven districts of Bastar region, including Sukma, to locate arms, ammunition, explosives and other materials concealed by Maoists, police said. PTI COR TKP BNM
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