Overview
- Sukma police said 26 cadres, including seven women, surrendered under the Poona Margem initiative, with 13 carrying a collective bounty of about ₹65 lakh.
- Each surrenderee received ₹50,000 in immediate assistance under Chhattisgarh’s policy, with further rehabilitation to follow, according to officials.
- Police identified Lali alias Muchaki Aayte Lakhmu (₹10 lakh) and Hemla Lakhma (₹8 lakh) among those who gave up, alleging roles in the 2017 Koraput IED blast and the 2020 Minpa ambush respectively.
- Officials said several belonged to PLGA Battalion 1 and other units across South Bastar, Abujhmad and the Andhra–Odisha Border, claiming the battalion is nearly pushed out of Sukma and that few armed cadres remain; police also said the group did not bring weapons, citing fear of reprisals.
- A day earlier, a 37-year-old woman carrying a ₹5 lakh reward surrendered in Dhamtari, telling police she was disillusioned with the CPI (Maoist) and had faced discrimination, with multiple cases registered against her.