Who is Kamla Sodi, the Rs 17-lakh Maoist who surrendered in Chhattisgarh?

Raipur: A hardcore woman Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 17 lakh surrendered before police in Chhattisgarh's Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai (KCG) district on Thursday, an official said.

Kamla Sodi (30) had been active in the Maaad division of Bastar and the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), KCG Superintendent of Police Lakshya Sharma told PTI.

She turned herself in after being impressed with the state government's new surrender and rehabilitation policy, he said.

KCG, which shares a border with Madhya Pradesh, is located 90 km away from the Chhattisgarh capital Raipur.

During her 14-year association with the outlawed outfit, Sodi was engaged in organisational work and violent activities, including recruitment, propaganda, and planning attacks on security forces, the official said.

She was as a hardcore member of the outfit's military wing and part of the team led by MMC zone commander Ramdar. She was wanted by the police in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, which had jointly declared a reward of Rs 17 lakh on her arrest, he said.

Hailing from Aarlampalli village in Sukma district, Sodi was active across the border regions of the three states.

Sodi's surrender is a direct result of the continuous operations by the security forces, the development work being carried out in rural areas, including the expansion of roads and transport facilities, the official said.

It is also driven by the availability of water and electricity networks, the growing trust among villagers in the government's welfare schemes, and public outreach and dialogue programs under community policing, he said.

Inspired by these efforts, Sodi decided to abandon the path of violence, and return to the mainstream, the official said.

She was provided an immediate encouragement amount of Rs 50,000, while further benefits under the Rehabilitation Policy-2025 are being processed, he added.

Last month, nearly 300 Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh, while senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi and 60 other cadres laid down their arms in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district.

The Centre has resolved to eliminate Naxalism from the country by March 2026.