Rajnandgaon: A top Maoist cadre, leading the outlawed movement in Rajnandgaon-Kanker border region of Chhattisgarh and wanted in several murder cases and attacks on policemen on Tuesday surrendered along with his wife before police.
The Naxal couple - Bhagat Jade (27) and Vanoja alias Tijo Netam (21) - active in Rajnandgaon-Kanker border region that connects Maharashtra`s Gadchiroli district to North Bastar, surrendered before the police in Rajnandgaon district, Additional Director General of Police (Naxal Operation) RK Vij told reporters.
He was wanted in several cases of murder, attacks on police, loot, arson, attempt to murder and other crimes, police said.
Differences broke out between Bhagat and other senior cadres after his brother Budhram Jade, a police jawan, was allegedly kidnapped and killed by them, following which he decided to part ways with the movement along with his wife, the ADG said.
Based on the couple`s instance, three IEDs of 5 kgs each and a 10 kg unidirectional mine placed on a road in Adjaad-Kamkasur hills under Khadgaon police station limits were recovered by a joint squad of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and district force, he said.
Bhagat, whose father was a village sarpanch, played a vital role since his joining the movement in 2005. He had earlier acted as a key Naxal courier in the area, besides accompanying top Maoist leaders during their travel from cities to forest and vice versa.
A native of Sahpal village in Rajnandgaon, Jade was inducted as a Madanwada local operation squad (LOS) member in 2007 and elevated as Pallemadi area committee secretary in 2011.
Later, he was inducted in Manpur Division Committee from where he took charge of a vast restive region of Manpur, Khadgaon, Madanwada of Rajnandgaon district and Mahamaya, Daundi of Balod and Lohattar of Kanker and expanded the organisation by recruiting a large number of youths, he said.
His wife, who was member of Aundhi LOS and in-charge of Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM) in the region, had joined the movement in 2006, he said.
They will be rehabilitated as per the policies of the state government, Vij added.
