Overview
- Suresh Koda, alias Mustakim, surrendered to the Bihar STF in Munger on February 18, ending what police described as the last active armed Maoist presence in the state.
- Koda had been absconding for about 25 years, carried a Rs 3 lakh bounty, and was named in roughly 60 Maoist-related cases across Munger, Lakhisarai and Jamui, according to police.
- Police recovered two INSAS rifles, an AK-47, an AK-56, 10 magazines and 505 rounds, and said some weapons matched arms looted in past incidents including a 2013 train attack.
- Authorities said Koda will receive benefits under the state surrender-cum-rehabilitation scheme, including the Rs 3 lakh reward, a Rs 5 lakh incentive, a Rs 10,000 monthly stipend for 36 months and compensation for surrendered arms.
- Senior officials credited sustained STF and allied force operations in remote Munger and other districts, alongside recent surrenders in 2025, with dismantling organised CPI (Maoist) squads and prompting the ‘Maoist-free’ declaration.