MALKANGIRI: Eight days after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to the Red rebels to give up weapons and join mainstream, a woman Maoist, carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh on her head, surrendered before police here on Thursday.
The rebel, identified as K Lakshmi alias Kamala alias Sweta, turned herself in before Malkangiri SP Jagmohan Meena citing ill-treatment meted out to her by senior Maoist leaders. SP Meena said Sweta, wife of Maoist leader Dhananjaya Gope alias Sudheer, is a native of Arabeti village within Kalimela police limits in the district.
She joined the banned outfit in 2008 and was working as the member of Gumma Area Committee of Malkangiri-Koraput-Visakha Border (MKVB) Division under the jurisdiction of Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the CPI(Maoist) organisation.Sweta was involved in the killing of two civilians in Silakota village in 2014 and Kattama of Gusumpadar village in 2016, setting JCB machines of a contractor engaged in road construction near Mudulipada and Piplapdar, Damanjodi hilltop attack in 2001 and exchange of fire with security men in Ramguda village in 2016, the SP said.
The woman ultra got disillusioned with the Maoist ideology and decided to surrender before police, Meena said and added that Sweta’s husband, who is also an Area Committee Member of MKVB Division, is likely to join the mainstream soon.
No impact of Maoist bandh in Kandhamal district
Phulbani: The 24-hour bandh called by Maoists in four districts had no impact in Kandhamal on Thursday.
The shutdown call was given by members of Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of the CPI (Maoist) organisation in protest against killing of five ultras in police encounter in Sudrukumpa forest area on May 13.
Sources said adequate security arrangements have been put in place in various parts of Kandhamal district to avoid any untoward incident. Additional forces have also been deployed in Maoist-infested areas of Daringbadi, Kotagarh and Bamunigaon. Notably, the Maoists on Wednesday had blocked Balliguda-Kantamal road near Sudra village by felling trees and disrupted vehicular movement for several hours. The Maoist cadres of KKBN division had also put up posters in the areas and threatened locals to support the bandh or face consequences.