Raipur: In a noteworthy development, as many as 71 Maoists, 30 of them carrying a collective bounty of over 60 lakhs surrendered before the officials of police and Central Reserve Police Force [CRPF] in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district.
The surrender took place on September 24 under the flagship Lone Varatu campaign being run by the administration in Dantewada district, under which over 1100 former Maoists have so far returned to the mainstream.
Those who parted ways with the Maoist group were disappointed with the hollow ideology of the group. The group members including 21 women cadres were also impressed by the surrender cum victim rehabilitation policy of the state.
The surrendered members were all said to be involved in carrying out various unlawful activities on behalf of the banned CPI [Maoist].
As per officials, two of the surrendered Maoists were carrying a bounty of Rs 8 lakh each, while four others had a reward of Rs 5 lakh each on them.
The surrendered members were all given a financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each. They will be further rehabilitated and given benefits of state’s rehabilitation policy.
Twelve Maoists, including five women and seven men, surrendered before police authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district on September 18. The surrendered cadres carried a cumulative bounty of Rs 18 lakh, officials said.
According to police, the group consisted of members affiliated with key Naxal units operating in the Indravati and East Bastar regions.
Over 1650 former Maoists have laid down weapons before authorities in Chhattisgarh since December 2023, denoting a significant turnaround in state’s Maoist affected regions. This come amidst intensified campaign of security forces against Maoists in Bastar which has resulted in neutralisation of over 450 cadres.
Two central committee members of the outlawed group were killed in an encounter in Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh on Monday.
“On September 22nd, several clashes broke out between security forces in the Farasbeda forest. During a search of the border area, the bodies of two cadres were recovered. The two were identified as Central Committee members Kosa alias Kadri Satyanarayan Reddy and Raju Dada alias Katta Ramachandra Reddy. Both Central Committee members have bounty of Rs 40 lakh each in the state, and a total bounty of Rs 1.8 crore each,” said Bastar IG P Sundarraj.
#WATCH | Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh: On the elimination of 2 Central Committee Member Naxal leaders, Bastar IG P Sundarraj says, "On September 22nd, several clashes broke out between security forces in the Farasbeda forest. During a search of the border area, the bodies of two… pic.twitter.com/dzNSl3i9c9
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2025
“This year, we have found the bodies of nine Central Committee members and cadets from various cases and other records… We have recovered over 480 weapons till now… We appeal to the Naxalites to surrender still and they will be provided with benefits from the government; otherwise, they will face strict action from,” he added.
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