Odisha: Maoists killed in Kandhamal encounter carried Rs 34 lakh reward

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha police said the five suspected Maoists, who were gunned down in Kandhamal district following an exchange of fire on July 5, together carried Rs 34 lakh reward on their heads. This is the first time that rebels carrying this kind of high reward were killed in a single day in the state.
“There have been instances of deaths of more than five Maoists on a single day in the past.But, deaths of the Maoists carrying Rs 34 lakh reward on a single day is so far the highest. Some years ago, a few Maoists carrying rewards of Rs 25 lakh were killed on Angul-Deogarh border,” a senior police officer said.
Among the Kandhamal deceased, Sukru @ Kosa Sodhi was a state committee member of outlawed CPI (Maoist) carrying Rs 20 lakh reward. A divisional committee member carried Rs 5 lakh reward, two area commander members Rs 4 lakh each and a party member carrying Rs 1 lakh reward on his head.
Notably, the Rs 34 lakh reward will be given to the Kandhamal police following the deaths of the five suspected Maoists. The reward money would have gone to the suspected Maoists had they surrendered before the police. DGP Abhay earlier appealed to the Maoists to surrender and take advantage of the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the government.
“This action by the security forces deep inside the jungle of Kandhamal will give a boost to developmental projects of the state government akin to the developments in Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri district,” the police officer said.
Notably, the incumbent Kandhamal SP Prateek Singh, who received accolades from the chief minister Naveen Patnaik over phone on Tuesday, had led a similar anti-Maoist operation in Kandhamal on May 13, 2018. At least five Maoists were gunned down in Sudukumpa forest in Kandhamal on that day. Naveen had then announced Rs 10 lakh reward for the Kandhamal police for the successful operation.
At least six Maoists have so far been killed in Odisha this year. Before the five deaths in Kandhamal, the police had neutralized a suspected Maoist in Swabhiman Anchal in Malkangiri district in January this year. Casualties of suspected Maoists stood at 19 in 2018 and 8 in 2019.