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Mahasamund (Chhattisgarh)/Bolangir: On Sunday, a total of fifteen Naxalites, including a member of the Special Zonal Committee named Vikas, surrendered to security forces in Mahasamund district, as reported by Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma.

The police indicated that the individuals who surrendered, comprising nine women, were part of the Bolangir-Bargarh-Mahasamund faction of the Maoists and had been operating along the border between Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Sharma, who oversees the Home department, described this event as a crucial advancement in the state government's rehabilitation initiative.

"The surrender today is a pivotal moment. All fifteen members from the Bolangir-Bargarh-Mahasamund division have laid down their arms, marking the end of this group's presence, as they were the last remaining members," he stated during a press briefing in Raipur.

Among the surrendered was Vikas, who held a significant position as the secretary of the West Sub-Zonal wing of the Maoist group.

The group that surrendered included six men and nine women, who handed over a substantial arsenal, which consisted of three AK-47 rifles, two Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), two INSAS rifles, and three .303 rifles, according to Sharma.

Officials noted that the group had initiated contact with security forces on the previous Wednesday night before their formal surrender.

In the past two years, authorities have reported that 532 Maoists have been neutralized, over 2,700 have surrendered, and around 2,000 have been apprehended in Chhattisgarh.

The central government has committed to eradicating Naxalism from the nation by March 31 of this year.