Bhubaneswar, March 24 Sukru, the most wanted Maoist in Odisha, who carried a reward of Rs 55 lakh on his head, surrendered to the police in the Kandhamal district on Tuesday along with four other cadres, DGP YB Khurania said.
Sukru, who was a member of the state committee, surrendered with an AK-47 rifle, he said.
A native of the Malkangiri district, Sukru was considered one of the last remaining Maoist leaders active in the state, he added.
The surrender came as the Centre's March 31 deadline to end Left-Wing Extremism approached.
Security forces, comprising the Special Operations Group (SOG), CRPF, District Voluntary Force and BSF, had intensified anti-Naxal operations at the tri-junction of the Kandhamal, Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, where Sukru and his associates were hiding, officials said.