Maoist top leader Devji surrenders
He carries a reward of ₹1 crore on his head
Hyderabad: Maoists suffered a major setback on Sunday following surrender of its top leaders. Top Maoist leader Thippiri Tirupati, also known as Devji, has surrendered to the Telangana police, dealing a significant blow to the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist). Devji, who carried a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head, is believed to have succeeded Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju as the general secretary of the CPI (Maoist) after Basavaraju's death in May 2025.
Devji, a native of Jagtial district in Telangana, was a key strategist and Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). He created the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and was a politburo member of the Maoist party. Another senior Maoist leader, Malla Raji Reddy, along with several cadres, also surrendered.
Devji along with Raji Reddy and 16 Maoist cadre surrendered before the Telangana police. They all surrendered before the SIB in Asiphabad forests in Telangana on Sunday.
The surrender comes ahead of the Union government's March 2026 deadline to eliminate Naxalism in the country, as part of Operation Kagar.
Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) B Shivadhar Reddy had appealed to underground CPI (Maoist) leaders and cadres to give up arms and join the mainstream, offering assistance and benefits under the state government's Surrender and Rehabilitation Scheme
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