Naxalite couple with cumulative bounty of Rs 10 lakh surrenders in Chhattisgarh

Dhamtari, Aug 25 (PTI) A Naxalite couple, carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 10 lakh, surrendered before the security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district, a senior police official said on Sunday.

Tikeshwar Vatti alias Tikesh (38) and his wife Ganeshi Netam alias Pramila (32) turned themselves in on Saturday, citing disappointment with “hollow” and “inhuman” Maoist ideology, the official said.

Tikesh was a member of Gobra Local Organisation Squad and Nagri area committee of the outlawed Maoist, while Pramila was a member of the Sitanadi area committee, he said.

The couple carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each, he said.

Tikesh, who joined the organisation as a member of the Sitanadi area committee in 2009, was involved in murder, attempt to murder, and encounters, including the 2013 skirmish near Khallari temple in Dhamtari, in which a CRPF personnel was killed, he said.

Tikesh was involved in 18 incidents of violence in Dhamtari, 12 in Gariaband and two in Kanker districts between 2013 and 2023, the official said.

Pramila joined the Maoist outfit as a Sangham member in 2009.

She was involved in 14 incidents of violence in Dhamtari, Gariaband and Kanker districts, including an encounter with a police party, in which a head constable and two villagers lost their lives, he added.

The couple was provided Rs 25,000 and will be rehabilitated as per the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, the official added.