Kandhamal, Jul 7: Three hardcore Maoists surrendered before Kandhamal district police. The announcement was made during a press conference held by Southern Range IG, Niti Shekhar.

The surrendered Maoists include, Madhavi Beti (Champa), Divisional Area Commander, Raju Dodi (Ajay) — Area Commander, Madhavi (Manju) — Admo. These individuals surrendered before Southern IG Niti Shekhar, Kandhamal SP, and 127 Battalion Commandant Pankaj Verma.

The trio had operated across Jharkhand (north/south), central Chhattisgarh, and southern Odisha, and were actively involved in Maoist operations under the CPI (Maoist) banner since 2009, 2011, and 2016 respectively. They were also inviolved in several high-profile violent operations.

All three Maoists cited several reasons for leaving the armed insurgency, the senior police official said.

It said that they have stated reasons including continuous patrolling by Police made it difficult for them to move freely in the forest, recent casualties among Maoist cadres, and the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policies as key motivators for their decision.

read more Odisha News