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As many as 52 Maoists, 49 of them carrying a collective bounty of over ₹1.41 crore, surrendered before the police in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday (January 15, 2026), a senior official said.
The surrendered cadres, including 21 women, were active in Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), Andhra-Odisha Border division and Bhamragarh area committee (Maharashtra) of Maoists, they said.
They turned themselves in before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials here under the “Poona” Margem (from rehabilitation to social reintegration) initiative, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said.
According to the official, the cadres also said that they were impressed by the State government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy.
Of them, Lakkhu Karam, alias Anil (32), a divisional committee member, and platoon party committee members Laxmi Madvi (28) and Chinni Sodhi, alias Shanti (28), carried a reward of ₹8 lakh each, he said.
Thirteen other cadres carried a bounty of ₹5 lakh each, 19 cadres ₹2 lakh each and 14 cadres ₹1 lakh each, he said, adding that 49 of the 52 surrendered Maoists carried a collective reward of ₹1.41 crore.
All the surrendered Maoists will be provided an immediate assistance of ₹50,000 each and rehabilitated as per the government’s policy, he added.
On Wednesday (January 14, 2026), 29 Maoists surrendered in the neighbouring Sukma district. Earlier, 63 Maoists surrendered in the neighbouring Dantewada district on January 8, while 26 cadres shunned violence and joined the mainstream in Sukma on January 7.
More than 1,500 Maoists surrendered in the State in 2025.
The Centre has resolved to eliminate Naxalism from the country by March 31 this year.
Published – January 15, 2026 06:16 pm IST
