Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Oct 23: A most-wanted Maoist couple, identified as Mangal and Malati, who were wanted in West Bengal and neighbouring Jharkhand, surrendered before Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay K. Nand at the police headquarters in Lalbazar on Friday, officials said.
During the surrender, the couple handed over an AK-47 rifle and an INSAS rifle to the police.
According to police, both Mangal and Malati are natives of West Bengal. Mangal hails from Salboni in West Midnapore district, while Malati is from Gopiballabhpur in Jhargram district.
However, their Maoist activities were largely confined to Jharkhand, with only occasional operations in West Bengal. Mangal initially became involved in Maoist activities in the Dalma region before moving to Saranda, both in Jharkhand.
Malati joined the left-wing extremist movement after Mangal, and her activities were also largely restricted to Jharkhand from the beginning.
Police said Maoists began leaving the Saranda forest area in Jharkhand earlier this year due to sustained pressure from security forces, which made it increasingly difficult for them to operate in the region.
Around 13 Maoists from West Bengal were on the security forces' wanted list, and they were arrested over time. Recently, three Maoists were arrested in Jharkhand, while another wanted Maoist leader, Pushpa, surrendered in Kolkata a few months ago. Mangal and Malati have now followed suit by surrendering before Kolkata Police.
The authorities had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to Mangal's capture and Rs 2 lakh for Malati.
Speaking to reporters after the surrender, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay K. Nand said Mangal had joined the Maoist movement around 2010 and moved to Jharkhand after 2011-12. He was also known to be close to late Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishenji, who was killed in a police encounter in November 2011.
Explaining their decision to surrender, Mangal said he had realised that armed struggle could not bring about social change.
“Both of us have decided to abandon the path of violence and return to the mainstream of society. That is why we came here and surrendered,” he said.