Eight Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Monday.
With this, 248 Naxalites, including 67 with bounties on their heads, have laid down arms in the district since the ‘Lon Varratu’ campaign, which means "Return to your home/village" in Gondi dialect, started in June last year, an official said.
The eight, including a woman, said they surrendered due to their disappointment with the Maoist ideology and because they were encouraged by their former colleagues who laid down weapons, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava said.
Of the eight, Suresh Oyami (20) was active as a member of Platoon No 13 under Bhairamgarh Area Committee of the Maoists and carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head.
Three others -- Jogi Madvi (19), Pradip alias Pandru Kovasi (20) and Sule Kawasi (35) -- carried rewards of Rs 1 lakh each, he said.
The other four were part of the outlawed outfit's lower hierarchy, the officer added.
"All of them were involved in attacks on police teams, planting explosives and damaging government property, including railway tracks, and killings of civilians in Dantewada and Bijapur districts," he said.
They were given immediate assistance of Rs 10,000 each and will get further help as per the government's surrender and rehabilitation policy, he added.