Patna, Jan. 23: The Bihar government’s rehabilitation policy for the Naxalites has started paying dividends. Five active members of the CPI (Maoist) surrendered before the Darbhanga senior superintendent of police (SSP) M.R. Naik on Saturday with their firearms.

Balbodh Kumar Mishra, an active squad member of the CPI (Maoist), told the police that he decided to surrender after being impressed with the Bihar government’s revised rehabilitation policy for the Maoists.

Mishra (35), a resident of Sanhapur village under Singhwara police station area in Naxalite-hit Darbhanga district, said the surrender of former area commander, Prakash Mallick, five years ago inspired him to give up arms.

“Now the dependents of Mallick are leading a normal life. The government has provided him with a house and a plot of land in urban area. In addition, they get a monthly stipend from the government. Even Mallick, who once used to lead the armed squad members of the banned outfit, has been provided an arms licence by the district administration,” Mishra said.

Mishra told the police that he joined the outfit in 1998 to take revenge against the assailants of his father, who was killed by some influential persons of his village.

“Since then I participated in several operations in Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur districts,” the former sub-area commander said.

He said he had killed an army personnel and a villager at Singhwara in 2002. He was a member of the team that blew up the house of a prosperous farmer.

Four other Maoists who surrendered with Mishra have been identified as Ghuran Das, Pavitar Das, Rambabu Bhagat and Gopi Thakur. Except Thakur, all are aged between 30 and 35 years.

The Darbhanga SSP told The Telegraph those who surrendered on Saturday would get the benefits of the rehabilitation package announced by the state government for the Maoists under the surrender policy.

He said while four of the surrendered Maoists hailed from Darbhanga, one (Thakur) was from Katra police station area in Muzaffarpur.

“The Maoists were active members of Prakash Mallick’s group and their leader had surrendered a few years ago,” he said.

The Maoists surrendered with three rifles, two revolvers and 23 rounds of ammunition.

“Altogether 18 active Maoists have surrendered before the police in the past one year,” the SSP said. Eleven Maoists had surrendered before the police last May.