On Tuesday, sixteen Maoists, six of whom had bounties totalling Rs 39 lakh, surrendered to the Jharkhand Police in Ranchi, as confirmed by a senior police officer. Among those who laid down their arms was Santosh Mahto, also known as Basudev Da or Dilip. He is a member of the regional committee of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) party and is wanted in 128 cases across various districts. His bounty is set at Rs 15 lakh.

The group that surrendered included five women, which highlights a diverse composition within the Maoist ranks. In addition to Mahto, there were other committee members, including a zonal committee member, two sub-zonal committee members, and two area committee functionaries.

Significance of the Event

Jharkhand’s Director General of Police, Tadasha Mishra, described the surrender as a significant accomplishment for the state police. He noted that of the sixteen individuals, six carried substantial bounties on their heads, which underscores the importance of the surrender in terms of law enforcement efforts.

The police officer reported that two of the surrendered were identified as sub-zonal committee members, while two others were area committee functionaries. Mishra expressed the police’s ongoing commitment to combatising extremism and crime within the state.

The officer further detailed that Santosh Mahto was implicated in an IED explosion in a forest area covering the border police stations of Manoharpur, Chotnagar, and Jhariakela on March 1. The incident resulted in injuries to a member of the Cobra battalion.

Additional Context on the Surrender

Another notable surrender was Chandan Lohra, a zonal committee member, who had been wanted in 78 cases and carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh. Other individuals who surrendered include sub-zonal committee members Anil Turi, known as Ujjwal, and Sukhlal Birjiyan, alias Akela, both carrying bounties of Rs 5 lakh each. Furthermore, area committee members Sudesh Honhaga, alias Sonaram Honhaga, and Risiv, each had rewards of Rs 2 lakh in place. Another zonal committee member, Santosh Manjhi, known as Jagabandhu, was also part of the group that surrendered.

During the surrender, the Maoists handed over a substantial cache of weapons. The police reported seizing six INSAS rifles and two AK-47 rifles, in addition to thirty-eight magazines and a total of 1,562 cartridges.

The police campaign against Maoist activities in Jharkhand continues to gain momentum. In 2026 alone, reports indicate that 93 Maoists have been apprehended, while 45 have surrendered and 22 have been killed in confrontations with security forces.

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