Three CPI (Maoist) Naxals, all of them carrying cash rewards on their heads, surrendered before the police in Jharkhand's Dumka district on Friday.
While two of them -- Rimil Da and Rajendra Rai -- carry rewards worth Rs 5 lakh, Chota Shyamlal Dehri has a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head.
Speaking to reporters Rai said joining the Maoists has no benefits. Though he was promised money and food when he joined them in 2015, he "did not get a single penny as a Naxal".
"We did not get a single penny, nor did we get proper food. Our other members should also surrender else they will be killed one day. I feel good after surrendering. There is no benefit in joining a Maoist organisation, it will only ruin your life," he said.
Rai further said women are not safe in the CPI (Maoist) organisations active in Santhal Parganas. "It was disgusting to see how women and girls used to get exploited by Maoists. 40-year-old men used to exploit 12 to 13-year-old girls. Even if we opposed such things, our opinions were never valued. The government should work towards the development of this village," he added.
After Rai's father passed away, his brothers stopped taking care of him. He was not being able to get a job, that is when he came into contact with the Naxalites.
"The government does not pay attention, due to which the youths living in these areas get distracted and join the Maoists out of greed for money. The Maoists are also not bothered about development, all they care about is the levy," he said.