Maoist leader may surrender in T’gana

Hyderabad/Raipur: Top Maoist commander Muppalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathi, 72, who led the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) for over one-and-a-half decades,

Hyderabad/Raipur: Top Maoist commander Muppalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathi, 72, who led the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) for over one-and-a-half decades, offered to surrender to the Telangana police, officials in the state intelligence department said on Tuesday.

HT Image

According to the officials, Ganapathi conveyed the message to the police through some Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders. The surrender is likely to materialise in a couple of days.

The Maoist commander carries a reward of ₹1.50 crore on his head. Telangana police department confirmed the report that Ganapathi was willing to surrender. “We have reliable information that along with Ganapathi, his close associate Mallojula Venugopal Rao is also contemplating surrendering to the government. We welcome, even if any other Maoist leaders join them to surrender,” a statement from the police department said.

Mallojula Venugopal Rao, also known by other names like Bhupathi, Sonu and Abhay, is a member of the politburo of CPI (Maoist) and Central Military Commission.

Stating that the Maoist leaders willing to surrender could approach the police through their relatives or well-wishers, the department said the police would extend all cooperation to them as was given to other Maoist party central committee members like Jampanna and Sudhakar in the past.

The officials quoted above said Ganapathi decided to surrender owing to ill-health and that he was suffering from asthma, diabetes and also severe joint pains.