Latehar (Jharkhand), Sep 1 (PTI) Nine members of the banned Maoist splinter group, Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), surrendered before the security forces with their arms and ammunition in Latehar district on Monday, police said.
Among the nine red rebels were a self-styled zonal commander and four sub-zonal commanders carrying rewards of a total of Rs 23 lakh on their heads, they said.
The Maoists surrendered with 12 firearms, including four AK-47 rifles, one AK-56 rifle and three SLRs, besides 1,782 cartridges and 26 magazines.
"Nine JJMP members surrendered before the security forces. I urge all Maoists to surrender and avail of the benefits of the surrender policy, or be ready to face the consequences," IG (Operations) of Jharkhand Police, Michael Raj S, said while addressing reporters.
JJMP self-styled zonal commander Ravindra Yadav, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakh and was wanted in 14 cases, surrendered with two AK-47s, three rifles and 1,241 cartridges, a police statement said.
Three self-styled sub-zonal commanders, who were carrying Rs 5 lakh each on their heads, include Akhilesh Yadav, wanted in 10 cases, Baldev Ganjhu, wanted in nine cases and Mukesh Ram, who was wanted in 21 cases.
Another sub-zonal commander, identified as Pawan alias Ram Prasad, was carrying a Rs 3 lakh bounty and was wanted in three cases, the statement said.
Four self-styled area commanders who surrendered were Dhruv ji alias Raju Ram, Vijay Yadav, Shravan Singh and Mukesh Ganjhu, and they were wanted in a total of nine cases, it stated.
CRPF Inspector General Saket Kumar Singh told reporters, "With the surrender of these nine Maoists, no JJMP member is left in Latehar. We are very close to eliminating Naxalism from Jharkhand."
In joint operations conducted by Jharkhand Police and CRPF, 75 Maoists have been arrested in Latehar district since January this year, another police officer said.