Another hardcore Maoist carrying ₹1 lakh reward on her head surrendered in Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Thursday.
Nayan Khilo (19), hailing from Sanyasiguda village under Chitrakonda police station, surrendered before Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Jagmohan Meena.
She was a member of Gumma area committee under Malkangiri division of outlawed CPI(Maoist). She had joined the organisation in 2016 and had several cases of Maoist violence pending against her.
The Odisha government had declared ₹1 lakh reward for her capture.
Heightened security
After her surrender, Nayan Khilo said that the recently inaugurated Gurupriya Bridge was a major reason behind her decision to leave the Maoist organisation. According to her, increased presence of security personnel in the erstwhile cut-off areas of Balimela reservoir after the inception of the Gurupriya Bridge had affected the morale of the Maoists operating in the region.
She said she had also realised the futility of violent activities of the Maoists. She criticised the activities of Maoist leaders like Dhananjay Gope, who, according to her, were “cold-blooded brutal killers”.
The Malkangiri SP said Nayan Khilo would be rehabilitated as per the schemes of the Odisha government for surrendering rebels.
Maoists’ nemesis
The Gurupriya Bridge has been troubling the Maoists operating in the region that had remained cut off from mainland Odisha due to the Balimela reservoir.
On July 29, a Maoist couple from the area surrendered before the police citing the increased presence of security forces in the region. The surrendered Maoists — Waga Urmani and his wife Mude Madhi — were carrying ₹5 lakh reward on their head [₹4 lakh for Urmani, ₹1 lakh for Madhi]. Both of them were active members of Andhra-Odisha border military platoon of CPI (Maoist).