Bhubaneswar, Feb 5: A senior female member of the banned CPI (Maoist), Mamata Podiami alias Mamita and Soni, surrendered to the Koraput police in Odisha on Thursday. Mamata, an Area Committee Member (ACM) from Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, was involved in several violent activities along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border.

In a significant development, her surrender marks Koraput district, once a major hotbed of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), as officially Naxal-free.

The surrender occurred in the presence of senior Odisha Police and Border Security Force officials in Jeypore, Koraput. Mamata handed over an SLR rifle with 10 live rounds during the process. DIG Kanwar Vishal Singh confirmed that Koraput follows Malkangiri district, which was declared Naxal-free a day earlier. Mamata will receive a financial reward, including Rs 5.50 lakh under the Odisha government’s rehabilitation policy, along with additional incentives for the surrender of the weapon.

The surrender comes shortly after another ACM-ranked Maoist, Sukhram Markam alias Suresh, surrendered in Malkangiri, contributing to the district’s declaration as Naxal-free. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had previously indicated that Odisha is nearing the complete elimination of LWE by 2026.