Six Naxalites carrying total bounty of Rs 62 lakh surrender in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli

Gadchiroli, Sep 24 (PTI) Six Naxalites, including three women, carrying cumulative rewards of Rs 62 lakh, surrendered in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on Wednesday, police said.

The members of the outlawed Maoist organisation turned themselves in before Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla here, citing “mindless” violence against civilians and the “hollow” claims of Maoism, said an official release.

The Naxalites also credited the surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy of the state government for their decision to join the mainstream, it said.

Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) from North Bastar Bhimanna, alias Sukhlal Muttayya Kulmethe (58) and his wife Vimalakka Sadmek (56), who was from the Maad division of Maoists, were among those who laid down arms. They each carried a reward of Rs 16 lakh.

The six carried a total bounty of Rs 62 lakh, it said.

DGP Shukla praised the C-60, Maharashtra’s elite anti-Naxal unit, and appealed to Maoists to shun violence and live a life of dignity. She also inspected the operational preparedness of jawans at a facility on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.

According to the release, 73 hardcore Maoists have surrendered in the past three years.

Due to the effective implementation of the government’s surrender policy, 716 Maoists have so far turned themselves in before the Gadchiroli police, it added. PTI COR CLS NR