At least 16 Maoists with various weapons and Rs 39 lakh combined bounty surrender in Jharkhand

New Delhi: As many as sixteen Maoists surrendered to the Jharkhand Police on Tuesday. Among them, six members had a total reward of Rs 39 lakh on their heads, according to a senior officer. One of the main leaders who surrendered was Santosh Mahto, also known as Basudev Da or Dilip. He was wanted in 128 cases and had a Rs 15 lakh bounty on his head.

“Of the 16 Maoists, six were carrying a total bounty of Rs 39 lakh on their heads. Five women members were also part of the group. A regional committee member and a zonal committee member are among them,” the officer said. He added that two sub-zonal committee members and two area committee leaders were also part of the group.

Police stated that the surrender of Santosh Mahto, a high-ranking member of the banned CPI (Maoist) group, was a huge success.

“Santosh was wanted in 128 cases registered at various police stations in several districts. He was accused of being involved in an IED blast in a forest under the border police stations of Manoharpur, Chotnagar and Jhariakela on March 1, injuring a jawan of the Cobra battalion,” the officer said.

Jharkhand DGP Tadasha Mishra called the event another “big achievement for the state police”.

“We are committed to eliminating extremism and crimes from the state. The Jharkhand Police are working towards their commitment to make the state clean,” she said on the occasion.

Another key leader, Chandan Lohra, who was wanted in 78 cases with a reward of ₹10 lakh, also surrendered.

The group handed over several weapons to the police, including six INSAS rifles, two AK-47 rifles, 38 magazines, and 1,562 live bullets.

Other members who surrendered include sub-zonal leaders Anil Turi and Sukhlal Birjiyan, who both carried ₹5 lakh rewards. Area leaders Sudesh Honhaga and Risiv, carrying ₹2 lakh rewards each, and zonal leader Santosh Manjhi also surrendered.

Police reported that as part of their anti-Maoist campaign across Jharkhand in 2026, security forces have arrested 93 rebels, 45 have surrendered, and 22 were killed in encounters.

Curated by- Ramansh Dhadwal