Rayagada, Feb 7: The Red Corridor continues to shrink in Odisha, with Rayagada district officially declared Maoist-free on Saturday. The announcement was made by Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Sanjeeb Panda during a press conference held in Rayagada.

With this declaration, Rayagada joins Malkangiri, Koraput, and Boudh districts, which have earlier been declared free from Maoist presence.

According to police, 15 Maoists surrendered before the Odisha Police as part of the ongoing anti-left wing extremism operations. Among them were two hardcore Maoists, Nikhil and Indu, members of the Bansadhara–Ghumsur–Nagabali division. The couple were state committee members and carried a combined bounty of ₹1.10 crore.

The other surrendered Maoists were identified as Bikash, Sundar, Pradeep, Rosni, Aruna, Nande, Nikita, Kumari, Deepak, Rakesh, Lalit, Raje, and Malati.

ADG Panda said the surrendered Maoists had renounced violence and joined the mainstream. They were previously operating from the foothills of the Niyamgiri hills and managing the Baghuna division. The former rebels have expressed their intention to work towards the protection of water, land, and forests.

The surrendered Maoists also handed over weapons to the police, including two AK-47 rifles, five SLRs, one Sten gun, one INSAS rifle, one rifle, and a large quantity of live ammunition.

Senior police officials present at the press conference included CRPF IG Amitendranath Sinha, South-West DIG Kanwar Vishal Singh, Rayagada SP Swati S Kumar, Kalahandi SP Debaraj Nagar Konda, Kandhamal SP Harish Bishi, along with several other senior officers.