12 Naxalites surrender in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur; 9 of them carry total Rs 18 lakh bounty

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Twelve Naxalites, nine of them carrying a collective bounty of Rs 18 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, a senior police official said on Wednesday.

The cadres, including five women, turned themselves in before senior police and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials here, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Robinson Guria said.

They cited disappointment with "hollow" Maoist ideology, atrocities committed by Naxalites on innocent tribals and growing internal differences within the banned outfit, he said.

Of them, Sudren Netam (41) and Dhoba Salam, both area committee members of Maoists, carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each, he said.

Two other surrendered cadres carried a bounty of Rs 2 lakh each, while three others had Rs 1 lakh each on their heads, he said.

Two more surrendered cadres carried a reward of Rs 50,000 each, he added.

"During their questioning, the surrendered Naxalites told the police that top Maoist leaders are the real enemies of tribals. They mislead locals with false promises of protecting water, forest and land, and also equality and justice, only to exploit and enslave them," the SP said.

"According to them, the local cadres face severe exploitation, and the condition of women Maoists is even worse. Many leaders treat them as personal slaves under the false pretext of promising them a better future in cities or even abroad," the SP said.

All the surrendered Naxalites were provided an assistance of Rs 50,000 each and will be further rehabilitated as per the government's policy, he added.

With this, a total of 177 cadres have surrendered in the district so far this year, according to the police.