Police making efforts to recover weapons disposed of by Maoists: HM

Bengaluru: Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said that six surrendered Mao-ists have not handed over their weapons, and the police are working to lo-cate and recover them from the forest where they are believed to have been disposed of.

Noting that one Maoist, expelled from the surrendered group, is still at large and efforts are underway to trace him, he said there is no one else involved in Naxal activities in the state. He added that any individuals coming from other states will be closely monitored.

“We need to search for the weapons. It is not yet known where they were disposed of in the forest, but efforts are underway in that direction,” Parameshwara told reporters in response to a question.

Addressing the BJP’s allegation that the government prioritised rehabilitation for Maoists over recovering their weapons, he said, “They keep making such claims. The government will do its job. We may need to gather infor-mation from the Maoists about where the weapons were hidden and seek their assistance. There are procedures, and they will be followed.”

The six surrendered Maoists will be rehabilitated under categories ‘A’ and ‘B’ of the Naxal Surrender Policy, Karnataka 2024, and will each receive Rs 3 lakh.