A senior woman Naxalite, Malti alias Raje (48), who carried a reward of ?8 lakh on her head, was arrested along with her associate in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, officials said on Monday. The arrest occurred on Saturday in the Koyalibeda police station area, following an investigation that traced her movements to Kaudosalhebhat village. Her associate, Shyamnath Usendi, had been sheltering her at his house. According to Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Raje’s apprehension marks a critical breakthrough in the state’s anti-Naxal operations.
Raje, a divisional committee member of the Maoists, was in charge of the Rowghat area committee under the group’s North Bastar division. Her husband, Prabhakar alias Balmuri Rao, a high-ranking cadre of the special zonal committee, was arrested in Kanker on December 22, 2024. Their combined arrests signify a significant blow to Naxal activities in the region. Police had been monitoring Raje’s activities in Koyalibeda, about 200 km from Raipur, for several days before taking action.
The Bastar region, comprising seven districts including Kanker, has seen intensified anti-Naxal measures. In 2024, police apprehended 925 Naxalites in the area, reflecting a sustained effort to combat insurgent activity. The arrest of Raje and her husband is expected to weaken the operational structure of Maoist forces in North Bastar, further advancing the state’s efforts to curb extremist violence.
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