Naxal 'commander' surrenders in C'garh's Dantewada

A Naxal "commander" with a Rs 1 lakh reward on his head on Tuesday surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said.

Baman Beko (26), active as "jan militia commander" of the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), turned himself in before Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava, an official said.

Beko, a native of Orchha in neighbouring Narayanpur district, had joined the outlawed group's children's wing in 2005 and was mainly tasked with recruiting youth and spreading Maoist propaganda among villagers, SP Pallava said.

"He carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Beko has said he was disappointed with the hollow ideology of the Maoists and was impressed by the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state government," Pallava said.