Four CPI (Maoists) armed cadres, Rajesh Topno alias Sudhir (35), Kumari Anita Kandulna (20), Mann Kumar Bagta (20) and Anil Soren alias Sau (16), who were active on the Gurundia border area adjoining Deogarh and Sambalpur districts, surrendered before Rourkela SP Anirudha Kumar Singh and 19th Battalion CRPF Commandant Himansu Kumar on Tuesday.

SP Singh informed this at a Press conference here. “They have confessed to their involvement in a number of Maoist violence cases on the Odisha-Jharkhand border areas under Deogarh and Sambalpur districts. They said Maoists under the leadership of CMC members Samarji, Ajay Dehuri and Misri Besra alias Sagar have killed innocent Adivasis in the name of police informers,” said the SP.

The SP further informed that the four along with other cadres had been collecting extortion money from industrialists, businessmen and contactors and had joined a number of ‘praja courts’. Women contingents are also being sexually and mentally harassed by the senior cadres, they said. The SP said the surrendered Maoists have told them that they want to join the mainstream of the society as they were harassed leading aimless life in jungle and couldn’t see any future prospects of the CPI (Maoists).

Rajesh Topno had joined the outlawed party in 2005 was working as a member of the self-defence squad of the South Chhotanagpur Zonal Committee. He was carrying a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head. Similarly, Kumari Anita Kandulna joined the party in 2011 and was working as a member of the same committee. Anil Soren had joined the party in 2009 and Mann Kumar Bagta in 2013. They were all carrying .303 rifles.

Rourkela Additional SP Santosh Mohanty was present.