Naxal couple surrenders in Dantewada

Dantewada, Dec 02: A Maoist couple who were allegedly involved in two major attacks on security forces in the last two years surrendered in Dantewada district on Thursday, a police official said.
Pojja alias Sanju Madavi (24) and his wife Lakkhe alias Tulsi Madavi (22), who carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each on their heads, turned themselves in before police here, said district Superintendent of Police Dr Abhishek Pallava.
The couple cited disillusionment with the “hollow” and “inhuman” Maoist ideology as the reason for surrender, he said.
Pojja was active as commander of the naxals’ `Platoon Number-9′ while Tulsi was commander of the `DVC Suraksha Dalam’, the SP said, adding that both were also members of the Pamed Area Committee of the rebels.
They were involved in an attack in Chintagufa area in which 26 CRPF personnel were killed in 2020 and the one in Tarrem where 22 security men were killed in 2021, Pallava said. The couple will be rehabilitated as per the state government’s policy, he added.
So far, 459 naxals, including 119 who carried rewards on their heads, have quit violence in the Dantewada district under the ‘Lon Varratu’ (which means `return to your home/village’ in Gondi) campaign launched by the police in June 2020, the official said.