Maoist leader surrenders in Odisha

Bhubaneswar  :  An area deputy commander of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist has surrendered in Odisha’s Sambalpur district, police said Friday.

Surya Negi, 30, surrendered before the police Thursday at the district headquarters town of Sambalpur, about 320 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.

He had joined the organisation in 2003, a senior district police official told IANS.

Negi was involved in as many as 30 criminal cases, including murder, arson, rioting and attack on the police between 2003 and 2007. He was a deputy commander of the Sambalpur-Deogarh-Sundergarh zonal committee of the Maoist organisation.

He deserted the Maoists after his recent marriage, and wished to return to the mainstream. Police officials said he had conveyed his wishes to them, and they had facilitated his surrender.