3 Maoists surrender; only few hrs left to choose option: IGP

Raipur: In a significant development just days ahead of the government's March 31 deadline to eliminate Left Wing Extremism (LWE), three more Maoist cadres, including two area committee members, surrendered before police in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Saturday.According to Kanker SP Nikhil Rakhecha, the latest surrenders follow a similar move by six Maoists who laid down arms on March 25 and 26. With Saturday's development, a total of nine cadres have surrendered within a span of just a few days. The surrendered cadres were identified as Radhika Kunjam, Sandeep Kadiyam and Rainu Padda.Police said the three Maoists surrendered with three weapons — two SLR rifles and one .303 rifle. Officials said information provided by the surrendered cadres is being used to establish contact with other active Maoists. Bastar range IGP Sundarraj Pattalingam said only "a few hours" left for the remaining cadres to choose the option of surrender and rehabilitation, and urged them to make use of the opportunity to return to mainstream.