Bijapur/Dantewada: Nine Naxals, including four with a total reward of Rs 16 lakh, surrendered in Bijapur and Dantewada districts of Chhattisgarh's Bastar division, police said on Saturday.
Two of them laid down arms in Bijapur while seven did so in Dantewada, an official said.
"Makdam Deva (36), who surrendered in Bijapur, was an active member of Jagargunda-Basaguda area committee. He joined the outlawed outfit in 1995, and had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said.
"Deva was involved in several attacks on police teams, including the Basaguda attack wherein two security personnel were killed, as well as murder of civilians in the area," he added.
In his statement, Deva said he was disappointed as he was denied promotion in the outfit and due to discrimination by senior leaders from other states against those who are from Chhattisgarh, the IG said.
Woman ultra Sumitra Chepa, who returned to her village last month after she was asked to leave a Naxal camp on June 12 as she showed flu-like symptoms and ultras thought she had contracted coronavirus, also surrendered in Bijapur, he said.
"Chepa was active as section commander of Maoists PLGA battalion no.1 and was involved in attacks in Sukma, including the 2014 Kasalpad attack in which 15 policemen were killed, and Pidmel attack in 2015 wherein three policemen had lost their lives. She carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh on her head," he said.