12 Naxalites, including 9 carrying Rs 28.50 lakh bounty, surrender in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada

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Twelve Naxalites, nine of them carrying a collective reward of Rs 28.50 lakh, surrendered in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, a police official said.

With this, a total of 1,005 Naxalites, including 249 with bounty on their heads, have so far surrendered in the district under the 'Lon Varratu' (term in Gondi dialect meaning 'return to your home/village') campaign, launched in June 2020, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.

"The number of Maoists, who surrendered under the Lon Varratu campaign of the Dantewada police, has crossed the 1,000-mark and this achievement reflects the far-sighted policies of the government, the continuous action of the security forces and the trust of the local communities," he said.

It is a symbol of the commitment of the government and administration to bring back the youth, who have strayed due to the hollow ideology of Maoists, to the mainstream, he said.

"The 12 cadres, including two women, turned themselves in before senior police officials as well as those belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) citing disappointment with growing differences within outlawed outfit, harsh forest life and hollow Maoist ideology," he said.

The surrendered cadres also said they were impressed by the rehabilitation drive 'Lon Varratu' and the state government's new surrender and rehabilitation policy, he said.

Of the surrendered cadres, Chandranna alias Bursu Punem (52), who was active as a divisional committee member in west Bastar division of Maoists, and Amit alias Hinga Barsa (26), who was active in same rank under Gadchiroli division, carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each, he said.

The duo were involved in multiple attacks on security forces in the past, he said.

Two other cadres Aruna Lekam (25), an area committee member, and Deva Kawasi (22), a section commander, carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively, he said.

One cadre was carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh, a woman cadre Rs 1 lakh and three others Rs 50,000 each, he said.

The surrendered cadres under Lon Varratu drive belong to Sukma, Bijapur and Narayanpur districts apart from Dantewada, he said.

In 2024, a total of 792 Naxalites had surrendered in Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Dantewada, as per police.