Maoists Suffer Setback as 4 Cadres Surrender

The ultras had quit the outlawed outfit a couple of years back and were living in hiding

ROURKELA:  In yet another setback to Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) on Sundargarh side of the Odisha-Jharkhand border, two more armed Maoists carrying cash reward of ` one lakh each along with two other cadres surrendered before the Rourkela police on Saturday.

They had quit the outlawed outfit a couple of years ago and were living in hiding. With this, 12 Maoists including two women cadres have surrendered in last one month. 

Additional SP SK Mohanty flanked by Assistant Commandant of CRPF 19th Battalion JK Mohapatra said the surrendered persons, Jakirus Munda and Harun Munda of Koida block in Sundargarh district, were armed cadres of the Maoist group led by Anmol Hembram alias Samarjee. Frustrated by mindless violence and subversive activities of Maoists, they quit the outfit and were leading a fearful life in hiding, said the ASP.

Jakirus was forced to join the outfit by his uncle and local Maoist leader Gunga Munda, while Harun was compelled by other Maoists. Both were wanted by Odisha and Jharkhand police for several Maoist related violence in and around Saranda forest along Odisha-Jharkhand border.

Similarly, Maoist cadres Jagdish Naik and Baiga Gagarai of adjacent West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand surrendered before Rourkela police after abandoning the outfit a couple of years ago.

Police said four days ago, a joint patrol party of Chandiposh police and CRPF defused a landmine weighing above 35 kgs planted on Mundatola-Silpunji forest road. It is believed the landmine was planted there since 2009 as a trap to ambush police as another landmine explosion nearby led to death of a CRPF jawan on July 17, 2009 during an effort to retrieve the body of slain SI Ajit Bardhan. 

A month back, armed Maoist cadre Samir Munda alias Jarka (20), who also carried cash reward of ` one lakh along with three other Maoists had surrendered, while on September 25, four other Maoists had given up arms.

The ASP said with intensified intelligence gathering, police are preparing a road map to bring more Maoists to the mainstream. Area domination operation on Sundargarh side of the border is simultaneously underway, he added.

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