10 Maoists surrender in Odisha

 10 Left wing extremists on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) laid down their arms before the security forces in Odisha’s Kandhamal district.

One of the surrendered Maoist cadres is a State Committee member who carried a reward of ₹55 lakh.

Sanu Pottam alias Nitu, State Committee member of the Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Balangir and Nayagarh (Division), is the prize catch.

Similarly, Santaei Salam alias Anupa, divisional committee member of the same division, Laxmi Madvi alias Sangita and Sunil Telam, area committee members, also surrendered. Six party members were also part of surrender.

At a formal ceremony organised to mark the occasion at Phulbani, Sanjeeb Panda, Additional Director General of Police, who is heading Odisha’s anti-Maoist operations, said all 10 cadres, who surrendered arms and ammunition were from Chhattisgarh and had a combined reward of ₹1.15 crore on their head.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, who also holds Home portfolio, recently informed that there were 40 Maoists active in the State. Some of the southern and western Odisha districts, which were previously affected by Left wing extremism, such as Nabarangpur, Balangir, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nuapada had already been declared Maoist-free.

Sources in the State police said there were about 20 to 25 CPI (Maoist) cadres still wandering in Kandhamal and in bordering districts evading encounters with security forces.