Phulbani: Ten Maoists carrying a combined bounty of Rs 1.15 crore surrendered before Odisha Police in Kandhamal district Wednesday, officials said.
Among those who surrendered are CPI(Maoist) State Committee Member (SCM) Sanu Pottam alias Nitu, who carried a bounty of Rs 55 lakh.
The red rebels, “ six women and four men“, surrendered before senior officers, including Additional DG (anti-naxal operation) Sanjeeb Panda, CRPF IG Amitendra Nath Sinha, IG Southern Range, Berhampur, Niti Sekhar, IG Operations Deepak Kumar, among others, at a programme in Reserve Police Lines, Phulbani.
Besides Nitu, who hails from Chhattisgarh, the other surrendered Maoists were identified as Santai Salam, Laxmi Madavi (alias Anupa), Sunil Telam, Manjula Punem, Rambati Ayam, Ganesh Kunjam, Sushila Dudi, Sharir Kuhudam, and Chodi Yodi. Among those surrendered are a divisional committee member and two area committee members.
The 10-member squad was operating under the KKBN (Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh) division of the banned outfit in Kandhamal district, they said.
The surrendered Maoists handed over their firearms to Panda, which included two INSAS rifles, two self-loading rifles, three .303 rifles, two single-barreled rifles, one 12-bore gun and a huge quantity of cartridges.
“The surrender of 10 Maoists, including SCM Sanu Pottam alias Nitu, reflects the steadily weakening influence of Left-wing extremist ideology in the region,” Panda said, adding that sustained operations have eroded the base of Maoists in Kandhamal, the lone district of Odisha still placed in the SRE (security-related expenditure) list.
He assured the surrendered Maoists that they would be extended the benefits of the state government’s Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy, including financial assistance and vocational training to help them reintegrate into society with dignity.
An Odisha Police statement said, “The surrendered Maoists carried a combined reward of Rs 1.15 crore. The government will provide over Rs 1.65 crore to the 10 surrendered Maoists under different heads like reward amounts on cadres (Rs 1.15 crore), additional compensation amount (Rs 40 lakh) and reward on weapons (Rs 10 lakh).”
Panda said the Odisha Police appreciated the efforts of the CRPF, particularly its 80th battalion, for the surrender.
Panda said Nitu is a native of Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, and he had joined CPI(Maoist) in 2004 and was active in Odisha from 2022.
After the killing of Central Committee Member Ganesh Uike in Kandhamal district in December 2025 and due to continuous and sustained operations, the Maoists were demoralised and decided to surrender and join the mainstream, Panda said.
Panda said that after this surrender, the number of armed cadres operating in Odisha has come down to around 25, and their activity is limited to the areas along the borders of Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Rayagada districts.
“Operations will be intensified in this region in the coming days to ensure that the remaining rebels are either eliminated or they surrender,” he added.
