Malkangiri: A hardcore woman Maoist, carrying a bounty of Rs 4 lakh on her head, surrendered before Malkangiri SP Jagmohan Meena Thursday.
She was identified as K Laxmi alias Sweta alias Kumari of Erabeti in Papulur panchayat under Kalimela police limits and the wife of notorious Maoist leader Sudhir, the SP revealed at a press meet at his office.
Laxmi acted as the area commander of Malkangiri-Koraput-Vishakhapatnam division of the outlawed CPI (Maoist). Fed up with her husband’s torture of tribal women of the cut-off regions, she decided to lay down arms.
“She was against the atrocities inflicted on tribal women and asked her husband to mend his ways. However, Sudhir threatened to kill her, so she decided to surrender before the police,” the SP said.
Laxmi joined the left wing extremists after being manipulated by her husband in 2008. Since then, she was involved in many violent incidents including the Damanjodi attack in 2009, firing at Doudaput police in 2014, firing at Damanjodi police, murder of two persons in Silakota under Kalimela police limits in 2014, firing at Ramaguda police in 2016 and burning of road construction equipment at Mrudulipada and Peparmetal in 2017.
She was also an active member of the Andhra-Odisha special committee of CPI (Maoist).
“There is a threat to her life from her husband. So, she will be put under security cover. Necessary steps will be taken to rehabilitate her as per government norms and help her start a new life,” the SP said.