Nine Maoists, six of them carrying cash rewards on their heads, today surrendered in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, the police said.
Citing disillusionment with Maoist ideology, the ultras, including a woman, turned themselves in before senior police officials at Dantewada district headquarters, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dantewada Range) Sundarraj P told PTI.
Of them, Nanda Barse, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, was an area committee member rank cadre and was serving as the gunman of dreaded Maoist commander Ganesh Uike, he said.
Barse had been allegedly involved in several major Maoist attacks, including at Thakawada and Kasalpada in Sukma district in 2014 wherein 15 security and14 CRPF personnel were killed respectively, the DIG said.
Two other cadres - Sukka Madkam (19) and Bheema Podiyami (21) - were allegedly involved in the attack on a CRPF patrolling team in April this year in Burkapal area of Sukma in which 25 paramilitary personnel were killed, he said.
The two were carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh each on their heads, he added.
Baman Kunjam (21) and Budhram Sodhi (21), who too have surrendered, were carrying reward of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads, while Rs 3 lakh was announced for the arrest of another cadre Hinga (24), the DIG said.
The rest of theultras who have surrendered are Sudru (21), Sahdev (26) and the woman Kosi Mandavi (20), he said and described the surrender as a major success for the Bastar police in their drive against the Maoists.
According to the police officer, the rebels, in their statements, expressed disillusionment with the "hollow" ideology of the Naxal movement and said they were fed up with being exploited at the hands of their senior leaders.
They were also impressed with the provisions of surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state government, he claimed.
Rs 10,000 in cash was given to each of the surrendered rebels as immediate financial aid and they will be rehabilitated as per government policy, the officer said.
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