108 Maoists with crores of bounty surrender in Chhattisgarh's Bastar, police recover biggest cash & gold dump
RAIPUR: A large group of 108 Maoist cadres carrying cash reward of Rs 3.29 crore and linked to Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) surrendered in Bastar on Wednesday under Chhattisgarh’s “Puna Margem – rehabilitation to rejuvenation” campaign, handing the security agencies a numerical as well as symbolic gain: the insurgency’s cadre base, weapons pipeline and financial muscle were all hit at once.
Giving one of the sharpest breaks in Maoist structure of Bastar, the cadres included 44 women and functionaries from multiple layers of the Maoist hierarchy — from five divisional committee members to area and platoon-level operatives. They laid down 101 weapons.
Security officials said that the latest surrender has a huge significance with only 20 days to go to meet the deadline of Mar 31 to eliminate Maoists from across the country. "This would encourage remaining armed cadres and those still hiding and elusive, to realize that there's no option left but to join mainstream life. Non-violence is non-negotiable. All Maoists will have to give up arms and return home for a safe life," said a security officer.
The mass surrender, held at Police Coordination Centre in Jagdalpur.
The surrendering cadres were handed over roses and a copy of the Indian Constitution and welcomed by the tribal community representatives. It was a gesture to let the cadres know that they were welcomed despite all odds and their decision to surrender is appreciated.
Bastar range inspector general of police P Sundarraj said that based on intelligence generated from the surrendering cadres and follow-up operations, security forces recovered 101 weapons from Maoist dumps across Bastar — including AK-47s, INSAS rifles, SLRs, LMGs, .303 rifles and BGL launchers — striking directly at the armed capability of the DKSZC, long seen as the backbone of Maoist operations in south Chhattisgarh.
Alongside the weapons came a second, equally telling blow: Rs 3.61 crore in cash and 1 kg of gold worth about Rs 1.64 crore, recovered from Maoist dumps, which officials described as the largest cash haul ever made from a single Naxal dump in the history of anti-Naxal operations in India.
Among the prominent and senior cadres who surrendered were Rahul Telam, Pandru Kovasi and Jhitru Oyam from west Bastar, Ramdhar alias Biru from east Bastar, Mallesh from north Bastar, Muchaki of PLGA Battalion number 1, and Kosa Mandavi from the Andhra-Odisha border zone, IG said, adding that they represent the mid-level grid through which the Maoist movement recruits, mobilises and survives.
Officials said the recoveries were spread across districts, with 49 weapons from Narayanpur, 24 from Bastar, 12 from Sukma, nine from Bijapur, five from Dantewada and two from Kanker.
"The twin track of security pressure plus rehabilitation outreach is beginning to hollow out the insurgency from within," officials said, adding, under the state's Naxal surrender, victim relief and rehabilitation policy, the surrendered cadres will be offered financial aid, skill development, housing, education and livelihood support.
Going by the latest data maintained by police, about 2,714 Maoist cadres have left violence in Chhattisgarh in the last 26 months, including 2,625 in Bastar division alone between January 1, 2024 and March 9, 2026.
For years, Bastar’s conflict was measured in encounters, ambushes and body counts, but now a different metric may start gaining the ground, said a CRPF officer.
Giving one of the sharpest breaks in Maoist structure of Bastar, the cadres included 44 women and functionaries from multiple layers of the Maoist hierarchy — from five divisional committee members to area and platoon-level operatives. They laid down 101 weapons.
Security officials said that the latest surrender has a huge significance with only 20 days to go to meet the deadline of Mar 31 to eliminate Maoists from across the country. "This would encourage remaining armed cadres and those still hiding and elusive, to realize that there's no option left but to join mainstream life. Non-violence is non-negotiable. All Maoists will have to give up arms and return home for a safe life," said a security officer.
The mass surrender, held at Police Coordination Centre in Jagdalpur.
The surrendering cadres were handed over roses and a copy of the Indian Constitution and welcomed by the tribal community representatives. It was a gesture to let the cadres know that they were welcomed despite all odds and their decision to surrender is appreciated.
Bastar range inspector general of police P Sundarraj said that based on intelligence generated from the surrendering cadres and follow-up operations, security forces recovered 101 weapons from Maoist dumps across Bastar — including AK-47s, INSAS rifles, SLRs, LMGs, .303 rifles and BGL launchers — striking directly at the armed capability of the DKSZC, long seen as the backbone of Maoist operations in south Chhattisgarh.
Alongside the weapons came a second, equally telling blow: Rs 3.61 crore in cash and 1 kg of gold worth about Rs 1.64 crore, recovered from Maoist dumps, which officials described as the largest cash haul ever made from a single Naxal dump in the history of anti-Naxal operations in India.
Among the prominent and senior cadres who surrendered were Rahul Telam, Pandru Kovasi and Jhitru Oyam from west Bastar, Ramdhar alias Biru from east Bastar, Mallesh from north Bastar, Muchaki of PLGA Battalion number 1, and Kosa Mandavi from the Andhra-Odisha border zone, IG said, adding that they represent the mid-level grid through which the Maoist movement recruits, mobilises and survives.
Officials said the recoveries were spread across districts, with 49 weapons from Narayanpur, 24 from Bastar, 12 from Sukma, nine from Bijapur, five from Dantewada and two from Kanker.
"The twin track of security pressure plus rehabilitation outreach is beginning to hollow out the insurgency from within," officials said, adding, under the state's Naxal surrender, victim relief and rehabilitation policy, the surrendered cadres will be offered financial aid, skill development, housing, education and livelihood support.
Going by the latest data maintained by police, about 2,714 Maoist cadres have left violence in Chhattisgarh in the last 26 months, including 2,625 in Bastar division alone between January 1, 2024 and March 9, 2026.
For years, Bastar’s conflict was measured in encounters, ambushes and body counts, but now a different metric may start gaining the ground, said a CRPF officer.
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