Days after Amit Shah's appeal, 33 Maoists surrender in Sukma

New Delhi: Days after Union home minister Amit Shah's appeal, 33 Maoists, 17 of them carrying a cumulative reward of ₹49 lakh, surrendered before security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Friday and were arrested, according to Bastar police.

Separately, in a search operation, security forces seized 11 laptops, ₹6 lakh in cash and explosive material from Abujmaad in Narayanpur district.

While 22 cadres, including nine women, turned themselves in before senior officials of the police and Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) earlier in the day, later 11 others, including two women, surrendered before police officials, police said.

The surrendered Maoists were granted ₹50,000 each and other facilities under the revised Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation policy 2025.

Sukma's SP Kiran Chavan said the cadres included Muchaki Joga (33), deputy commander in People's Liberation Guerrilla Army company no. 1 under the Maad division of Maoists, and his wife Muchaki Jogi (28), a member of the same squad, who carried a reward of ₹8 lakh each.

Others included Kikid Deve (30) and Manoj alias Dudhi Budhra (28), both area committee members of Maoists carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh each, he said, adding that seven surrendered cadres carried a bounty of ₹2 lakh each, while another Maoist carried a reward of ₹50,000.

Officials said the surrendered Maoists were also involved in multiple attacks on security forces. The district police, District Reserve Guard, CRPF and its elite unit CoBRA played a crucial role in their surrender, they said. Eleven other surrendered Maoists were active in Badesatti village panchayat under the Phulbagdi police station limits, as per officials.

(With Agency Inputs)