VISAKHAPATNAM: A woman Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh on her head in Odisha and four armed militia members of the banned CPI (Maoists) surrendered before the Visakhapatnam Rural Police here on Saturday. The Maoists called it quits, citing ill-health and harassment in the dalam, the police said.
Gemmili Chandramma alias Akhila (33), a native of Peda Agraharam of GK Veedhi mandal in Visakhapatnam Agency had joined the rebel group in 1998 as a member of the Galikonda dalam before moving to Kalimela dalam.
"Akhila was involved in five major offences including the attacks on Darakonda police station in Andhra Pradesh in 2000 and Kalimela police Station in Odisha in 2001, and exchange of fire at Buggirevula and Kalimela. The Odisha Police had kept a reward of `4 lakh on her head," Visakhapatnam Rural SP Rahul Dev Sharma said, while presenting the surrendered before the media.
Akhila and her husband Nageswara Rao, were arrested by the Odisha Police in 2005. After the couple was released on bail in 2007, Nageswara Rao went back to the outfit, while Akhila got settled down at Tekpadar in Malkangiri of Odisha as a tailor. She used to stitch clothes for the Maoists too.
"Though Akhila left the outfit a decade ago, she had been continuously harassed by the rebel group to join the dalam again. Vexed, Akhila returned to her hometown Peda Agraharam recently and decided to surrender," The SP said.
The other surrendered included Lasingi Machaiah alias Mastyaraju (27) from Chintapalle mandal; K Lakshmana Rao alias Minaj (55) and K Subba Rao (27), both natives of Pedabayalu mandal; and Takkiri Hedebeen (33) from Malkangiri district of Odisha.
An armed militia member of the Korukonda dalam, Mastyaraju was involved in two attacks and several arsons. Korra Subba Rao and his uncle Korra Lakshmana Rao were wanted in similar offences too. The SP said Takkiri Hedebeen, among the surrendered, was present on the spot during the Ramgarh encounter on
October 24 last year. Hedebeen was on the night sentry duty in the forest between Ramgarh and Panasaput in Malkangiri district of Odisha on that day when 30 Maoists and a police personnel were killed in an exchange of fire. Meanwhile, police sources said that Hedebeen wanted to quit the dalam owing to harassment, but the higher-ups in the cadre were forcing him to not call it quits.