RAIPUR: On the final day of the Centre’s March 31 deadline to end Left Wing Extremism, 35 Maoist cadres, surrendered in several districts of Bastar on Tuesday, while security forces made major recoveries of seven kg gold, cash worth Rs 2.9 crore and 93 weapons from Maoist dumps.Of the 35 cadres, 25 surrendered in Bijapur, five in Dantewada, two in Sukma and Kanker and one in Narayanpur.In Dantewada, five cadres linked to the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), including four women, surrendered under the “Puna Margam – rehabilitation to rejuvenation” campaign. Officials said the surrendered cadres carried a combined bounty of Rs nine lakh.Police said they were associated with the Bhairamgarh and Gangaloor area committees and hailed from Bijapur district.Dantewada police said intelligence provided by the surrendered cadres, along with other inputs, led to the recovery of 40 weapons from Maoist dumps. The haul included eight SLR rifles, three INSAS rifles, one carbine, one .303 rifle and five barrel grenade launchers, among other arms. SP Gaurav Rai claimed that with the surrender of the “last five active Maoists” in the district, Dantewada was now Naxal-free.In Bijapur, police reported surrender of 25 cadres and recovery of 93 weapons, including four AK-47 rifles and nine SLRs, besides a dump haul valued at Rs 14.06 crore, including Rs 2.90 crore cash and 7.2 kg gold worth Rs 11.16 crore.
In Narayanpur, one cadre surrendered along with one LMG, police said.In Sukma, two women Maoist cadres, each carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh, surrendered before senior police officials.Security forces recovered a dump containing Rs 10 lakh cash, one INSAS LMG, two AK-47 rifles, three .303 rifles, 14 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and 13 rounds of .303 ammunition.SP Kiran Chavan said the recovery of cash and automatic weapons was a major success and claimed that the Maoist organisation in Sukma had been “nearly dismantled.” In Kanker, two surrendered along with an AK-47 rifle. Kanker SP Nikhil Rakhecha said 11 Maoist cadres had returned to the mainstream in the district over the past six days.Police said around 14 Maoists were still active in Kanker district, including DVCM-level cadres Chander and Rupi. Efforts were being made to contact the remaining cadres using information provided by those who had surrendered and persuade them to return to the mainstream.Bastar range IG Sundarraj Pattilingam appealed to the remaining Maoists to abandon violence. He said only a few hours remained for cadres to choose surrender and rehabilitation and urged them to adopt a peaceful and dignified life.
