A woman Maoist carrying a reward of ₹4 lakh on her head surrendered in Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday.
Debe Madhi alias Shanti surrendered before Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Jagmohan Meena at the district police headquarters.
Madhi, a resident of Kosulkond village, had joined the Maoists in 2008. She was a member of the Gumma area committee under the Malkangiri-Koraput-Visakhapatnam border division of the CPI(Maoist).
She was involved in several incidents of Maoist violence, including at least six murders. Madhi was active in the erstwhile cut-off area of Balimela reservoir, which is now connected to the mainland through Gurupriya bridge. This bridge was a major reason behind her surrender, said the police.
According to Mr. Meena, penetration and anti-Maoist operations of the security forces have increased in the erstwhile cut-off area, known as ‘swabhiman anchal’, because of the Gurupriya bridge. It had dented the morale of the rebels and facilitated development projects in remote areas.
Rehabilitation scheme
Madhi said that she had started realising the futility of violence by Maoists. She was frustrated because of the activities of Maoist leaders like Dhananjay Gope, who, according to her, was a womaniser and involved in many brutal killings.
The surrendered Maoist will be provided monetary assistance as per the rehabilitation scheme of the Odisha government. She will also be provided funds to build her own house and pursue studies or vocational training, the SP said.