Twelve Maoist cadres, collectively carrying a bounty of Rs 1.12 crore, surrendered before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his visit to Gadchiroli on Friday. Two surrendered in their uniform along with an AK-47 rifle and other weapons.
Fadnavis was on an official visit to the district. He reviewed security operations at the newly established Police Station at Kawande in Bhamragad sub-division, on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, which was set up in March last year.
On the deadline to eliminate Naxalism, he said, “Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has pledged that we will make the country Naxal-free by March 2026. So, good work is going on on that front. Maharashtra has taken this to its last stretch. But the problem was that large-scale recruitment took place in Chhattisgarh, and Maoists came from there to carry out their operations here in Gadchiroli. Now, the new government in Chhattisgarh, in collaboration with the Centre, has broken the back of the Maoists. Soon, we will fill the security vacuum in the entire area, there will be Police dominance, and we will be able to achieve this by March 2026.”
The CM also flagged off 19 new four-wheelers provided to Gadchiroli Police by the District Planning Committee for anti-Maoist operations.
According to official data, 55 Maoists have laid down arms in Gadchiroli since 2022, 34 of them in 2025 alone.
