A cadre of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) carrying a cash reward of INR 400,000 on his head surrendered before the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Malkangiri District of Odisha on February 12, reports The Times of India. The surrendered cadre has been identified as Jipro Habika (30), a resident of Khajaguda under Narayanpatna Police Station limits in Koraput District of the State. He was working as an ‘area committee member’ of ‘Gumma Area Committee’ (GAC) under Malkangiri-Koraput-Visakhapatnam Border (MKVB) division of Andhra-Odisha Border special zonal committee (AOBSZC) of CPI-Maoist. As per the report, Habika had joined the third company of ‘Central Regional Committee, (CRC)’ of the banned CPI-Maoist in 2012. He was involved in nine criminal incidents including murder, exchange of fire and blasting of vehicles. He was wanted for his involvement in the killing of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader, the then Araku Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former legislator Siveri Soma at Dungiguda near Araku valley on September 24, 2018. While surrendering Habika said, “I had joined the Maoists because I was drawn towards their ideology. But now I have realised that the Maoists do nothing for the development of tribals. After getting their work done, they target tribals on false charges of being police informers and kill them. The Maoists are mostly involved in extortion and the cadres are being ill-treated at the camp. Also, the extensive operations in Swabhiman Anchal by security personnel in recent times have made life miserable in the forest”.