Maharashtra top cop says Maoists demoralised, will surrender soon

The state police chief appealed to the Maoists to surrender, stating that they would benefit under the state’s Maoist surrender scheme.

A day after 16 Maoists were killed by the Maharashtra police in Gadchiroli, the director general of police (DGP), Satish Mathur, said that other Maoists will be demoralised and surrender soon.

The anti-Maoist squad on Monday gunned down 4 more suspected Maoists in Gadchiroli district (Representational photo)

Maoist groups are no longer united and have gotten divided into small groups, which is evident from the fact that accurate information was leaked to the police, he said.

The state police chief appealed to the Maoists to surrender, stating that they would benefit under the state’s Maoist surrender scheme. Over the past few years, 605 Maoists have surrendered in Maharashtra.

Mathur said that the benefits of surrendering include rehabilitated homes and development schemes. “Maoists should not speak warfare’s language and must switch to democratic ways. In recent years, the government has given Rs7 crore to the surrendered naxals,” he said.

Two combat teams of elite Commando 60 (popularly known as C-60) carried out the operation for nearly 90 minutes in Etapalli’s Boriya forest area in Gadchiroli district.

“The successful operation is a result of pinpoint-accurate information, good use of technology, high morale of policemen and excellent leadership at the ground level,” Mathur told the media on Monday.

“The Maoists were most active dalams and were involved in cross-border crimes. However, in the recent past, they had not succeeded in carrying out any big operations,” Mathur said.

Over the last few months, cash worth Rs3.17 lakh crore was seized through anti-Maoist operations.

Four more Maoists killed

The anti-Maoist squad, the C-60 of Gadchiroli, on Monday evening gunned down 4 more suspected Maoists in Gadchiroli district. According to reports, a gun battle took place in Rajaram jungle near Jimalghatta in south Gadchiroli. Dr A Deshmukh, the district police superintendent confirmed the news and said they were awaiting more details.