Nine Maoists carrying a cumulative reward of ₹47 lakh surrendered before the police in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district on Friday, rendering the Raipur police range free of Naxal presence, senior officials said.
Inspector General of Police (Raipur Range) Amresh Mishra said the surrendered cadres laid down arms before senior police officials, citing disillusionment with Maoist ideology, the hardships of life in forests, and the influence of the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy. However, he added that Maoist influence continues in the Bastar range and parts of Rajnandgaon district, where several cadres are still active.
The surrendered Maoists, including seven women, belonged to the Nagri and Sitanadi area committees and the Mainpur Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) operating under the Dhamtari–Gariaband–Nuapada division of the Odisha state committee of Maoists.
Among them, Jyoti alias Jaini (28), secretary of the Sitanadi area committee, and Usha alias Balamma (45), a divisional committee member, carried rewards of ₹8 lakh each. Six others — Ramdas Markam (30), Roni alias Uma (25), Niranjan alias Podia (25), Sindhu alias Somadi (25), Reena alias Chiro (25), and Amila alias Sanni (25) — carried rewards of ₹5 lakh each, while Lakshmi Punem (18) carried a bounty of ₹1 lakh. Balamma is a resident of Telangana, while the others are from various districts of Chhattisgarh.
“With this, all listed cadres operating in Dhamtari and Gariaband districts under the Raipur range, and the adjoining Nuapada district of Odisha, have either been killed, surrendered or are no longer active,” Mishra said.
{{/usCountry}}“With this, all listed cadres operating in Dhamtari and Gariaband districts under the Raipur range, and the adjoining Nuapada district of Odisha, have either been killed, surrendered or are no longer active,” Mishra said.
{{/usCountry}}Dhamtari superintendent of police Suraj Singh Parihar said the surrender was the result of sustained efforts over a long period. “We were in continuous contact with villagers, journalists, and former Maoists. The last batch finally surrendered today after prolonged persuasion and dialogue,” the SP said.
The cadres also surrendered several weapons, including two INSAS rifles, two SLRs, one carbine and one muzzle-loading gun.
With this surrender, 189 Maoists have laid down arms in Chhattisgarh so far this year. On January 19, nine Maoists carrying a reward of ₹45 lakh surrendered in Gariaband, while on January 15, 52 Maoists — 49 of them carrying a collective bounty of over ₹1.41 crore — surrendered in Bijapur. More than 1,500 Maoists surrendered in the state in 2025, even as the Centre has set a March 31 deadline to eliminate Left Wing Extremism nationwide.