India, March 24 -- A state committee member of Maoists carrying a Rs.55-lakh bounty, Sukru, has surrendered before police in Kandhamal district along with an AK-47 rifle, Odisha DGP YB Khurania said on Tuesday. He said to be the last influential commander among the Maoist cadre.

Four other Maoists also laid down arms with him, in what police described as a significant boost to ongoing efforts to curb Maoist activities in the state.

Sukru, a native of Malkangiri district, was considered the most senior active Maoist in Odisha and was leading a group of around 13 cadres, mostly from Chhattisgarh, operating in Kandhamal. Khurania said he had recently been running a new outfit named "Eighth Company" to continue Maoist activities in the regi...