Five members of the banned CPI (Maoist) surrendered to the Andhra Pradesh police on Saturday, citing ill health and harsh treatment. This included a woman Maoist, who carried a bounty of Rs 4 lakh on her head.
The Maoist, identified as Gemmili Chandrmma alias Akhila, (33), was involved in five major offences, including an exchange of fire with security forces.
In a press release, the police said that Chandramma joined the outfit in 1998 and rose to the position of area committee member (ACM) of Kalimela (Odisha) dalam.
"Akhila was involved in five major offences including the attacks on Darakonda police station in Andhra Pradesh in 2000 and Kalimela police Station in Odisha in 2001, and exchange of fire at Buggirevula and Kalimela. The Odisha Police had kept a reward of Rs 4 lakh on her head," Visakhapatnam Rural SP Rahul Dev Sharma told media persons.
She later married another Maoist Nageswara Rao alias Suresh. The couple were arrested in 2005, and granted bail in 2007.
Following this Akhila left the organisation, but continued to stitch uniforms for them.
Recently, several members began asking Akhila to join the CPI (Maoists) again, following which she returned to her hometown, and decided to surrender.
Tensions have been escalated between the outlaws and security forces, ever since an encounter in the Malkangiri forests along the Andhra-Odisha border in October last year, killed around 31 Maoists.
Besides planting several mines across sensitive areas and strongly coming out against the mining of bauxite and other resources in the Agency area, the Maoists have also put out a death threat against Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Currently, Naidu is under 'Z plus' category protection and his security detail includes members from the elite National Security Guard apart from Andhra Pradesh police's Intelligence Security Wing.
Naidu had survived a claymore mine attack by Maoists on October 1, 2003 in Tirupati.
Naidu, who was then the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, had sustained injuries in the blast.
IANS inputs