Chikkamagaluru: In a crucial move, as many as four Maoists, who had been living in the district away from the shadows of the naxal movement surrendered before the district administration on Monday, in a bid to return to mainstream society.
The ones who surrendered before the district administration are two couples – Niluguli Padmanabha and Bharathi alias Deepa, Rizwana Begum Alias Kalpana and Raju alias Parashuram.
They were produced before Chikkamagalur DC G Sathyavathi and SP Annamalai by Gauri Lankesh and A K Subbaiah, the members of a high-level Citizens’ Committee formed by the government to bring the Maoists back into mainstream.
It is said that the four showed their willingness to return to mainstream after naxal leaders like Sirimane Nagaraj and Noor Zulfiqar surrendered in December 2015.
The four have stated to the Committee members that they were fed up of the life that they led as Maoists and wanted to live a normal life henceforth.
Nilaguni Padmanabha is involved in 19 criminal cases including 9 each in Shivamogga,Udupi and one in Chikkamagaluru. Cases of murder, attempt to murder, carrying and supplying dangerous weapons are pending against Padmanabha and Shringeri police are likely to take him into their possession for further investigation.
Rizwana Begum is involved in 2 criminal cases, one each in Raichur and Chikkamagaluru. One case of firing on policeman and other abduction case is pending against her.
There are no pending cases against Bharathi and Raju.
State Government had offered 5 lakh cash award to informants providing his whereabouts and 1 lakh each to informants of Bharathi and Rizwan.
The district committee has discussed the surrender issue in detail and the details will be forwarded to the state committee dealing on Naxal surrender issues. Zilla Panchayath Chief executive officer (CEO) Ragapriya too was present when the four naxalites surrendered at the district administration office.
