In a major breakthrough for Telangana’s anti-Maoist operations, 37 Maoists surrendered before the Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Shivadher Reddy on November 22. The group includes three top-ranked State Committee members identified as Koyyala Sambayya alias Azad, Appasi Narayana alias Ramesh, and Somda alias Erra. The remaining 34 Maoists are from Chhattisgarh, officials said.
Police sources stated that 25 of those who surrendered are women, indicating a significant shift within the ranks of the Maoist cadre.
According to the DGP, the surrendering group includes three Divisional Committee members, nine Regional Committee members and 22 dalam members. During the surrender, security forces recovered a substantial cache of arms. The Maoists handed over 303 rifles, G3 rifles, AK-47s, SLR weapons, and a large quantity of ammunition.
The DGP confirmed that reward money will be given to all who surrendered, along with rehabilitation benefits as per government policy. Notably, Azad and Appasi Narayana each carried a reward of Rs 20 lakh, while the total reward amount on all 37 Maoists stands at Rs 1.41 crore, which the officials say will be handed over to them.
DGP Shivadher Reddy added that 59 more Telangana-based Maoists are still underground and urged them to join the mainstream at the earliest. Among those still absconding are five senior Central Committee leaders, Muppalla Lakshman Rao (Ganapathi), Malla Raji Reddy (Sangram), Tippiri Tirupati (Devji), Paka Hanumantu (Ganesh) and Bade Chokka Rao (Damodar). He said the State Committee currently has around ten members.
After intensified operations, the Maoists are increasingly coming under pressure. As part of Operation Kagar, announced by Home Minister Amit Shah, recent encounters, shrinking Naxal-affected areas and sustained action in Chhattisgarh have forced Maoists to give up arms. Many Maoists are now surrendering before the police in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Telangana, signalling a rapid collapse of their organisational presence across the region.
On 18 November 2025, Madvi Hidma, a central committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist) was killed in an encounter in the forested area of Maredumilli, Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Hidma was one of most wanted Maoist leaders, and his death is being seen as a significant blow to the Maoist network. Alongside Hidma, his wife Raje alias Rajakka and others were killed.
Following this on November 19, security forces killed an additional seven Maoists (including three women) near the same area, and simultaneously arrested around 50 Maoist cadres across five districts in Andhra Pradesh that incude Krishna, Eluru, NTR (Vijayawada), Kakinada and Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema.
The arrested include three Special Zonal Committee members, five Divisional Committee members, 19 Area Committee members and 23 regular party members. Weapons, detention equipment and cash were also seized in the operation.
