Security personnel sit next to weapons seized from Maoist rebels and fighters upon their surrender at a police facility in Dantewada in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division on March 31, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AFP
As many as 44 Maoists from five districts of Bastar division in Chhattisgarh surrendered before security forces on Tuesday (March 31, 2026), said a senior police officer.
The surrender led to recoveries of a large cache of arms and ammunitions apart from cash amounting to ₹3 crore and gold worth over ₹11 crore, which were displayed on Tuesday (March 31, 2026), the officer added, highlighting the significance of the date that was set by the Centre as the deadline for elimination of Maoism from the country.
“On this decisive day of Mission 2026, 44 Maoist cadres in the Bastar range renounced the path of violence and embraced the mainstream way of life — a significant step toward peace and trust in the region,” the officer said, adding that 25 of those were in Bijapur district and 11 in Kanker district. The remaining ones were from Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur, he added.
On the recovery of weapons and valuables from the dumps, the officer said that over the past few days, a total of 217 weapon, including light machine guns (LMGs), AK-47s, INSAS rifles, and self-loading rifles (SLRs) have been recovered from various Maoist dumps and cadres.
“A new milestone has now been set with the recovery of 7.2 kg of gold (valued at approximately ₹11.16 crore) from another Maoist dump; this recovery was showcased today, on this decisive day of the mission,” added the officer.
On cash recoveries, the officer said that a total of ₹3 crore in cash (₹2.90 crore from Bijapur district and ₹10 lakh from Sukma district) was recovered from Maoist dumps.
In a related development, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that Chhattisgarh was now free from Maoism. He also added that a Maoists-free Chhattisgarh was ready to step into a “new era of development, trust, and prosperity”.
Published – March 31, 2026 09:53 pm IST
