In a significant boost to anti-Maoist operations in south Bastar, as many as 26 Maoists, including seven women, laid down their arms in the Sukma district on Wednesday, underscoring the steady disintegration of the outlawed organisation’s operational structure in Chhattisgarh. The surrendered cadres were carrying a cumulative reward of ₹64 lakh and were allegedly involved in a series of deadly attacks across Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states that claimed the lives of at least 56 security personnel.
Officials said the surrender was the outcome of sustained intelligence-led outreach by multiple battalions of the Central Armed Police Forces, including CRPF units and CoBRA commandos, along with the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Chhattisgarh Police. Continuous engagement, coupled with pressure from intensified operations in core Maoist areas, eventually persuaded the cadres to abandon the armed movement.
Among the most prominent surrenderees is Lali alias Muchaki Aite, a Muria tribal woman who held the rank of deputy commander and carried a bounty of ₹10 lakh. Active since 2005, she was associated with CYPCM Platoon No. 2 and was involved in at least eight major incidents. Police said she played a role in the 2007 IED attack on a security forces’ vehicle on the Sonabeda–Koraput route, in which 14 personnel were killed.
Another key Maoist, Hemla of Jagargunda in Sukma district, carried a reward of ₹8 lakh and had been active since 2011. He was allegedly present during the 2020 Minpa encounter that resulted in the deaths of 17 security personnel. Female cadre Asmita alias Kamlu, a member of PLGA Company No. 7, also carried a bounty of ₹8 lakh.
Muchaki Sandeep alias Hidma, who had a reward of ₹5 lakh, was part of the security detail of senior Maoist leader Jampanna of the Kandhamal–Kalahandi–Boudh–Nayagarh division, police said. He was allegedly involved in two major ambushes—the 2021 Tekalguda attack that killed 22 security personnel and the 2023 Jagargunda ambush in which three more were killed.
Senior police officials described the mass surrender as a clear indication of declining morale within Maoist ranks. They said the combination of precise intelligence, sustained field operations and the state’s surrender and rehabilitation policy was yielding tangible results.
The latest development is being seen as another decisive step towards restoring lasting peace in south Bastar, with security agencies asserting that the Maoist movement in the region is now facing one of its most challenging phases in decades.