Two Maoists from Chhattisgarh, who included a woman Area Committee Member (ACM), surrendered before the Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district police, near here, on September 1 (Friday).
They were identified as Sunnam Neela (30), alias Soni, and Madivi Bhudu (25).
A native of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, Neela was an ACM of Chatgaon under the North Gadchiroli Division Committee.
Bhudu was a member of the 2nd company of the 3rd platoon of the 1st battalion of the CPI(Maoist) under the Dandakaranya Special Committee.
While Neela had been with the party for the last 18 years, Bhudu was in the dalam for the last eight years. While Neela had ₹4 lakh reward on her head, Bhudu had ₹1 lakh.
Addressing the media later, ASR district Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha said Neela had joined the dalam in 1998. She was trained in the Gompadu forest area of Kunta Area Committee for 15 days by Ramanna, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee.
In 2003, she was transferred to Chaitanya Natyamandali (CNM) of Gadchiroli Divisional Committee as member, where she worked up to 2004. In 2005, she was transferred to the 15th platoon, where she worked till the year 2009.
In 2007, she was made ACM. It was also the year when she married Vetti Bhudru, alias Krishna, a member working in the 3rd platoon.
In 2009, she was transferred to Chatgaon Area Committee as deputy commander, where she worked till June 2018. During this period, she carried INSAS weapon, Mr. Sinha said.
Mr. Sinha said that Neela was involved in the attack on security forces at Markanar village in February 2009. Fifteen security personnel were killed in the incident. She was also involved in the attack witnessed at Atigota village in May 2009, in which 16 security personnel had perished. In October 2009, she had taken part in the attack on security forces at Mallampadu Road, in which 17 personnel were killed. She was also involved in the killing of tribal people after branding them as police informers during 2017, Mr. Sinha said.
Mr. Sinha said that Bhudu had joined the dalam in 2015. The following year, he was trained at Kannemeraka village and transferred to the 2nd company of the 3rd platoon of 1st battalion under the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, where he worked up to 2021.
Explaining the reasons for their surrender, Mr. Sinha said they were vexed with the Maoist ideology. This apart, heightened police movement in the Maoist strongholds and loss of people’s confidence also forced them to give up arms and join the mainstream, the SP said.
Additional SP (Operations), Rampachodavaram, K.V. Maheshwara Reddy, and Commandant of 141 Battalion, CRPF, Prashant Dar, were present.
