Nine Naxalites including six women surrender in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district

Sukma: As many as nine Naxalites carrying a collective reward of Rs 26 lakh on their heads surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Wednesday, police said.

The surrendered Naxalites included six women, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan.

They turned themselves in before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials here citing disappointment with the "hollow and inhuman" Maoist ideology and growing differences within the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), he said.

Naxalites are on the backfoot with increasing pressure of the security forces and establishment of police camps in interior areas, the SP said.

The surrendered Naxalites were also impressed by the 'Niyad Nellanar (your good village)' scheme of the state government aimed at facilitating development in remote villages, Chavan added.

Of the surrendered ultras, Bandu alias Bandi Madkam (22), a member of the People's Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) company no 2 of the Maoists, was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, he said.

`Area committee members' Mase alias Vetti Kanni (45) and Padam Sammi (32) carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each. A woman and three men cadres carried a bounty of Rs 2 lakh each, he said.

Bandu was allegedly involved in various Naxal attacks, including the 2020 Minpa ambush in Sukma where 17 security personnel were killed, the SP said.

The other surrendered cadres were also involved in multiple attacks on security forces, he said.

Personnel from Chintalnar police station, District Reserve Guard, Intelligence Branch, CRPF and its elite unit CoBRA played a crucial role in their surrender, the official said.

The surrendered Naxalites were provided assistance of Rs 25,000 each and will be rehabilitated as per the government's policy.

In 2024, a total of 792 Naxalites surrendered in the state's Bastar region which comprises seven districts including Sukma.