Hardcore Naxal surrenders in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada

A hardcore Naxal, carrying a cash reward of Rs One lakh on his head, surrendered before the Dantewada police on Thursday. He was part of a squad involved in the October 2018 Nilawaya attack in which two policemen and a Doordarshan cameraman were killed in Chhattisgarh.

Dantewada: A hardcore Naxal, carrying a cash reward on his head, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Thursday, police said.

An official said," Tati Lakhma, an active commander of the "CNM military platoon " of the Maoists in the Mangalir area, was the most dreaded.

"Lakhma was involved in major Naxal violence incidents in the area, including the Nilawaya attack in Dantewada during last year's state Assembly elections in which three security personnel and a Doordarshan cameraman were killed," the official said.

"Tati Lakhma surrendered before the police in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada town, citing disappointment with the Maoist ideology and exploitation of lower-ranking cadres by senior Naxal leaders," Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava said.

"He had joined the Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM) in 2008 as a lower rank member, and was instrumental in carrying out several attacks on security forces in Dantewada and Sukma districts," he added.