6 Maoists Carrying Rs 62 Lakh Bounty Surrender In Maharashtra

Six Maoists, including three women with combined bounties of Rs 62 lakh, surrendered to authorities in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Wednesday, according to police reports.

In Gadchiroli, these members of the banned Maoist organization surrendered before Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla, citing disillusionment with the "mindless" violence against civilians and what they described as "hollow" ideological claims of Maoism, an official statement revealed.

The former rebels acknowledged that Maharashtra's surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy played a significant role in their decision to rejoin mainstream society, according to the release.

Among those who surrendered were Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) from North Bastar, Bhimanna, also known as Sukhlal Muttayya Kulmethe (58), and his spouse Vimalakka Sadmek (56), who operated in the Maad division of the Maoist organization. Both carried individual rewards of Rs 16 lakh each.

The total bounty on all six surrendered Maoists amounted to Rs 62 lakh, the statement confirmed.

DGP Shukla commended the C-60 unit, Maharashtra's specialized anti-Maoist force, and urged remaining Maoists to abandon violence and pursue lives of dignity. The police chief also conducted an inspection of operational readiness among security personnel stationed along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.

According to official data in the release, 73 high-ranking Maoists have surrendered over the past three years.

The effective implementation of the government's surrender policy has resulted in a total of 716 Maoists surrendering to Gadchiroli police to date, the statement added.