A 27-year-old Maoist cadre, Kesab Veladi alias Ramdas, who was carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh on his head, surrendered before the Kalahandi police on Tuesday.
He was a member of the Maoists Raul Area Committee (Kalahandi-Kandhmal-Boudh and Nayagarh Division).
In 2019, Ramdas was involved in the torching of machineries at two contractor’s camps in Kalahandi and Kandhmal district.
He had joined the Gangalur Dalam in Chhatisgarh in 2009 and worked for a year. He was then transferred to Odisha to work under Maoist leader Jampanna. In 2011, he was shifted to Kharang Nadi area committee as Area Committee Manager and worked there till 2018.
Kalahandi SP Batulla Gangadhar said Ramdas was being physically tortured by senior leaders who always were against the development of the interior pockets. “Ramdas wanted to marry a Maoist cadre but was prevented by his leaders,” he added.
Ramdas told the reporters that he lost confidence in Maoist ideology when he saw that they were exploiting the women cadre sexually as well as physically.
"I felt that the Maoists have failed to keep their promises on the development of Adivasis and always opposed the road and school construction by threatening the contractors for their own benefits. Finally I thought to come back to the social mainstream,” he said.