Raipur: A Maoist couple who collectively carried a reward of Rs 16 lakh on their heads surrendered Tuesday in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, police said. Salwam Mutta alias Sukku and his wife Salwam Gangi were active members of ‘Battalion No.1’, the strongest military unit of Maoists in the Bastar region, said an official. The battalion, headed by Maoist commander Hidma, was involved in several deadly attacks, he added.
Salwam and his wife turned themselves in before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials in Sukma ‘expressing disappointment with the hollow Maoist ideology and exploitation of lower-rung cadres by senior leaders’, Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma said. Salwam, associated with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) since 2006, was at present deputy commander of a platoon in Battalion No. 1, Sharma informed.
Salwam was allegedly involved in 14 deadly Maoist attacks in Bijapur and Sukma districts, including the 2010 Tadmetla massacre in which 76 security personnel were killed. He was also involved in the 2017 Burkapal ambush that claimed the lives of 25 security personnel and Tekalguda attack of last year that left 22 jawans dead, the official said.
Salwam’s wife, associated with the banned outfit for 10 years, was active in the agriculture wing of the battalion, the SP said. The two carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each on their heads. Upon surrender, Salwam and his wife were given ‘encouragement amount’ of Rs 10,000 each and will be rehabilitated as per the Chhattisgarh government’s policy, Sharma said.