Two Maoists surrender before Odisha Police

Bhubaneswar, Aug 30 (PTI) Two Maoist cadres from Chhattisgarh, including a woman, carrying rewards on their heads, surrendered before the Odisha police at Bargarh.

Police said the two Area Committee Members of the outlawed CPI(Maoist) were active in the Gandhamardan Reserve Forest area for several years.

They were identified as Amila alias Paro alias Puja Tati, (35) and Raghu alias Saitu Padam, (31).

Amila, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 4 lakh on her head, was involved in expanding Maoist activities in Bargarh and Balangir districts since 2010, police said.

Raghu, involved in the Maoist expansion since 2012, had a reward of Rs 3 lakh on his head.

"They surrendered before the police after realising that the organisation had lost its ideological commitment, and was indulging in meaningless lawless activities like extortion, attack on innocent civilians and security force personnel," according to a statement issued by the police.

Quoting the surrendered Maoist, the police said, “The Chhattisgarh cadres, particularly the women cadres are subjected to continuous physical, psychological and sexual harassment in the outfit. They saw the large-scale developmental activities happening in this area and understood the futility of the path of violence..

There have been two incidents in the last six months where there were heavy exchanges of fire between the police and Maoists in the Gandhamardan Reserve Forest area. PTI AAM SBN AAM SBN