Malkangiri, Feb 4: In a significant development, Sukhram Markam, a senior Maoist leader from Chhattisgarh, surrendered to the police in Malkangiri district, Odisha, marking a major blow to Maoist operations in the region. Markam, an Area Committee Member of the Maoist organization, gave up arms after years of involvement in extremist activities.

During his surrender, Markam handed over a substantial cache of weapons and explosives, including an SLR rifle, 12 live rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) weighing 2 kg each, 10 meters of Kardex wire, and a large amount of Maoist-related materials.

Police sources revealed that Markam had been associated with the Maoist organization since 2010 and had actively participated in several violent incidents across both Malkangiri in Odisha and neighboring Chhattisgarh. His surrender is being viewed as a major setback to the Maoist insurgency in the area, and authorities see it as a step forward in efforts to restore peace and stability to the region.

The surrender has been welcomed by officials, who emphasized the government's commitment to rehabilitating and reintegrating surrendered Maoist cadres into mainstream society.