Raipur/Dhamtari, Jan 23 : In a significant setback to the Maoist movement in Chhattisgarh, nine active Naxalites, including several senior leaders, surrendered before the police in Dhamtari district on Friday.

The mass surrender, which took place in the presence of senior officials, marks one of the largest simultaneous surrenders in the region in recent times and is expected to yield crucial intelligence on Maoist operations.

The surrender event was held at the Dhamtari police headquarters, where the former insurgents formally laid down arms in front of Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Amresh Mishra and Superintendent of Police Suraj Singh Parihar, police sources said.

The police have yet to issue details about the surrendered Naxals. The surrendered individuals comprised four men and five women, all of whom held key positions within the outlawed CPI (Maoist) organisation. Among them were a Divisional Committee Member (DVCM), an Area Committee Member (ACM), and several area commanders, a police official said.

These Naxalites had been operating primarily in the dense forests of the Sitanadi region, a long-standing Maoist stronghold in the district. The group handed over a cache of weapons, including a .303 rifle and other items, to the authorities.

Police sources revealed that several of the surrendered Naxalites carried bounties amounting to lakhs of rupees on their heads and were wanted in connection with multiple violent incidents, including attacks on security forces and civilian targets.

This development comes amid an intensified anti-Naxal operation across Chhattisgarh, particularly in the Bastar division, which has seen a series of successful encounters, arrests, and surrenders in recent months.

Officials attribute the growing trend of surrenders to sustained pressure from security forces, combined with rehabilitation packages and outreach programmes offered by the state government. Several high-rank Maoist leaders have either been neutralised or persuaded to lay down arms in the past year, weakening the organisational structure of the insurgents.

The surrender of these nine Naxalites is regarded as a major blow to the Maoist network in the Sitanadi area, where they had maintained influence for years.

Authorities believe their statements could provide vital information about remaining hideouts, supply lines, and planned activities.

The state government has reiterated its commitment to ending Left-wing extremism through a combination of security measures and development initiatives aimed at winning the confidence of local tribal communities.

/IANS