HYDERABAD: Thirty-seven members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), including three members of the banned group’s Telangana state committee, formally surrendered before director general of police (DGP) B Shivadhar Reddy at an event in Hyderabad on Saturday.
“This is one of the largest coordinated surrenders of Maoist party leaders and cadres in recent months,” the DGP said.
The surrendered Maoists include state committee members Koyyada Sambaiah alias Azad, Appasi Narayana alias Ramesh, and Muchaki Somada alias Erra, each carrying a bounty of ₹20 lakh. “They have been underground for the last three decades,” Reddy said.
The other 34 cadres are from Chhattisgarh and include three divisional committee members, nine area committee members, and 22 squad members. “Of the total 37 Maoists who surrendered, 25 are women and 12 men,” the DGP added.
The surrendered Maoists also handed over a large cache of weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle, four .303 rifles, one G-3 rifle, two SLRs and ammunition.
The DGP said the latest surrender marks a significant operational success in weakening Maoist firepower in the region. “The cadres responded to an appeal issued by chief minister A Revanth Reddy during the Police Martyrs’ Day event on October 21, urging Maoists to return to the mainstream,” he said.
The DGP said ₹1.41 crore in reward money was being distributed among the 37 individuals in accordance with the surrender policy. Each of the 37 newly surrendered cadres also received ₹25,000 as immediate assistance. “Those from Telangana will also be eligible for the state government’s comprehensive rehabilitation and resettlement package,” he said.
The DGP noted that 59 more Maoists from Telangana, including five central committee members –– Muppalla Lakshman Rao alias Ganapathy, Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, Paka Hanumanthu alias Uike Ganesh and Bade Chokkarao alias Damodar — continue to remain underground.
Additionally, 10 Telangana state committee members remain at large. “We appeal to all of them to surrender at the earliest and rejoin society,” the DGP said.
