In a historic development, 37 underground cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist) surrendered before the Telangana Police, marking a major setback for the insurgent group.
Among those who surrendered were three senior State Committee Members (SCM): Koyyada Sambaiah alias Azad, Appasi Narayana alias Ramesh of the Telangana State Committee, and Muchaki Somada Erra of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC).
Significantly, seven of the surrendered cadres belonging to the KM DVC not only laid down arms but also handed over a cache of weapons, including one AK-47 rifle, two SLRs, four .303 rifles, and one G3 rifle, along with 343 rounds of live ammunition of various calibres.
Telangana DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy hailed the surrender as a turning point, noting that continuous police operations, ideological rifts, and restricted movement had weakened the Maoist organisation.
The surrender also included 25 women cadres, reflecting the scale of the defection. The Telangana government’s appeal to abandon violence and join mainstream society played a key role in influencing the decision.
As part of rehabilitation, state committee members received ₹20 lakh each, with a total reward of ₹1.41 crore distributed via cheques and demand drafts.
This mass surrender follows the recent killing of Madvi Hidma, the notorious Maoist commander accused of masterminding at least 26 major attacks, including the 2013 Darbha Valley massacre and the 2017 Sukma ambush.
