In a major boost to India’s anti-Naxal campaign, 22 Maoists, including 10 women and seven senior cadres from Chhattisgarh’s Sukma, Dantewada, and Bijapur districts, surrendered before Odisha DGP Y B Khurania in Malkangiri district on December 23, 2025. Carrying a combined bounty of over Rs 2 crore, they handed over nine firearms like an AK-47, two INSAS rifles, three .303 rifles, 150 live rounds, 20 kg explosives, and 13 IEDs, citing disillusionment with Maoist ideology and Odisha’s revised surrender policy offering 10% higher incentives than Chhattisgarh, including Rs 1.84 crore in benefits, housing, skill training, and marriage aid. This first mass surrender of the year weakens CPI(Maoist) leadership in the Dandakaranya and Andhra-Odisha zones, aiding the national target to eliminate Left Wing Extremism by March 2026, as security forces intensify operations and locals embrace peace.