Eleven Maoists carrying a Rs 63.3 lakh bounty surrendered to Odisha Police in Kalahandi, turning over weapons and receiving Rs 1.2 crore in compensation.
Summary: Eleven Maoist insurgents, carrying a collective bounty of Rs 63.3 lakh, surrendered to the Odisha Police in Kalahandi. The surrender, which included the handover of automatic rifles, drastically reduces the presence of armed insurgents in the state and involves substantial government financial compensation.
High-Profile Surrender
- In a significant operational success, 11 Maoist operatives yielded to law enforcement in the Kalahandi district on Sunday.
- These individuals were highly active across the Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Rayagada regions.
- The demographic breakdown of the surrendered group includes 10 insurgents from Chhattisgarh and one from Maharashtra.
Financial Incentives and Weapon Recovery
- The government will provide the reformed individuals with a combined compensation package totaling Rs 1.2 crore.
- This monetary support includes their combined head bounties of Rs 63.3 lakh, plus an extra Rs 60 lakh in rehabilitation incentives.
- During the surrender, authorities seized 11 firearms, notably an AK-47, an INSAS rifle, and multiple Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs).
Declining Extremist Presence
- Following this mass surrender, state police estimate that only around 15 armed Maoists remain active within Odisha’s borders.
- Addressing national security trends, Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted the 2014–2026 period as a highly successful era for eradicating internal threats like Maoism
