Ranchi: In a major breakthrough in Jharkhand’s anti-Naxal campaign, 16 CPI (Maoist) cadres, including senior commanders, surrendered before the Jharkhand Police on Monday, laying down a large cache of sophisticated weapons and ammunition.
According to police officials, those who surrendered included one Regional Zonal Commander, three Zonal Commanders, Area Committee Members (ACMs), and several other Maoist operatives. Many of them were allegedly involved in multiple Maoist-related criminal cases.
The surrendered cadres handed over a significant stockpile of arms, including one INSAS rifle, two AK-47 rifles, one HK-33 rifle, one US Carbine, along with 1,562 rounds of ammunition and magazines.
Among the prominent Maoists who surrendered are Santosh alias Basudev alias Gandhi, Santosh Manjhi alias Jagbandhu, Chandan Lohra, Jaykant Munda, Rajnath Hansda, and Anil Turi, along with several others.
The group comprised cadres from Giridih, West Singhbhum, Ranchi, Saraikela-Kharsawan, and Bokaro districts of Jharkhand, as well as Bijapur, Narayanpur, and Sukma districts of neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
Police described the mass surrender as a major success in the state’s ongoing drive against Left Wing Extremism. Officials said the strategy of sustained security operations, combined with development initiatives and rehabilitation measures, has encouraged many Maoists to renounce violence and return to the mainstream.
The surrendered cadres will be provided benefits under the state’s surrender and rehabilitation policy after completing the required legal formalities, officials said.
Security forces have intensified anti-Maoist operations across Jharkhand in recent months, leading to several encounters, arrests, and surrenders. Officials believe the latest surrender will further weaken the Maoist network operating in the forested regions of Jharkhand and adjoining Chhattisgarh.