Raipur, May 24 : As many as 24 hardcore hardcore Maoists, collectively carrying a bounty of Rs 83.50 lakh, surrendered at the district headquarters of Bijapur within forty-eight hours of elimination of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao, also known as Basavaraju.

Among those who laid down arms were Hanumath Rao, deputy commander of company number two of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), and his wife, Mangali Korsa, a Platform Party Committee Member (PPCM) of the same unit. 

Their surrender was confirmed by Bijapur district superintendent of police, Dr. Jitendra Kumar Yadav. Hanumath had a bounty of Rs 10 lakh, while his wife carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh.

Other senior Maoist leaders who surrendered included Sampat Panum, a PPCM in company number seven of PLGA, along with his wife Laxmi, also a PPCM in the same unit.  Additionally, Raju Fasa and Dasari Kunjam, both members of company number two, as well as Mukka Madvi and Arjun Madvi, cadres of the notorious battalion number one of PLGA, joined the surrender.  Each of them had a bounty of Rs 8 lakh. 

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai praised the surrendered Maoists for choosing to reintegrate into society.