ADVERTISEMENTThis is the first major group surrender of Maoists in Chhattisgarh after the government declared the state free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) on March 31 this year. There were five women among the surrendered Maoists. They turned themselves in before senior officials of the police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Bijapur SP Umesh Prasad Gupta said. According to him, the cadres were influenced by the Chhattisgarh government’s Naxalite Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy and similar initiatives being implemented in Bijapur. The surrendered Maoists are residents of Bijapur, Narayanpur and Sukma districts, the SP added.