A 27-year-old Naxalite with bounty of Rs 7 lakh on his head surrendered in Maharashtra's Gondia, a police official said on Friday. Deva alias Arjun alias Rakesh Sumdo Mudam was part of the Malajkhand 'dalam' and Pamed 'platoon' number 9 of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist). Deva laid down his weapons in front of the Collector Prajit Nair, Superintendent of Police Gorakh Bhamre and Additional SP Nityanand Jha.
Maharashtra Naxalite surrenders
As per the statement shared by the police, Deva, who has a bounty of Rs 7 lakh, was involved in firing cases in Tipagarh in Gadchiroli, Jhilmili Kashibehra Bakarkatta in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon as well as other incidents of Naxal violence and attacks on security forces.
"He laid down arms on Thursday in front of Collector Prajit Nair, Superintendent of Police Gorakh Bhamre and Additional SP Nityanand Jha. He was part of the outlawed movement since 2014 when he just a teen and served in the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh zone of the Naxalites," the police official said.
Gadchiroli Naxalites surrender
Last week, two Naxalites carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 8 lakh surrendered before the security forces in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district. As per an official statement by the police, Ramasu Poyam alias Narsingh (55), a resident of Gadchiroli, and Ramesh Kunjam alias Govind (25), a native of Narayanpur in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, surrendered before the Gadchiroli police and the Central Reserve Police Force on Friday.
Poyam carried a bounty of Rs 6 lakh, was recruited as a member of the Tipagadh LOS in 1992 and served as the area committee member (ACM) in Kutul and Nelnar LOS since 2010. He had 12 cases to his name, including six encounters, five murders and an offence of dacoity.
Kunjam had a Rs 2 lakh bounty, joined as a militia member in 2019. He was recruited as a member of the Chetna Natya Manch (CNM) in 2020 and became a member of the Kutul LOS in 2021.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said in the Maharashtra assembly earlier that Noth part of Gadchiroli district is completely Naxal-free. 33 Maoists have been killed, 55 Maoists have been arrested, 33 Maoists have surrendered.
(With PTI inputs)
