Two top Maoist leaders, including a key strategist, surrendered before Telangana police on Sunday, dealing a major blow to the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist). Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji and Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, along with 16 other members, gave themselves up in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
Hyderabad: Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, 60, and Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, 76, surrendered before the special intelligence bureau (SIB) of Telangana police in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district in the early hours of Sunday. The two leaders, carrying a combined reward of ₹3.5 crore—₹2.5 crore on Devji and ₹1 crore on Raji Reddy—were accompanied by 16 other party members.
Officials said an official announcement will follow the formalisation of the surrender process, with the leaders likely to be presented to the media in the presence of director general of police B Shivadhar Reddy or chief minister A Revanth Reddy.
Over the last year, 2,793 cadres have surrendered nationwide, including 1,590 in Bastar alone. This compares to 1,040 surrenders in 2025, 881 in 2024, 376 in 2023, and 496 in 2022. The leaders had been in contact with police for two days following a security operation in Karreguttalu Hills on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border.
Union home minister Amit Shah stated on Saturday that the campaign to eliminate Maoist insurgency is on track and will conclude by March 31. “I can’t even imagine how this big and historic task... is nearing its end in just three years,” Shah said at the CRPF's 87th raising day parade in Guwahati.
Devji, from Ambedkar Nagar in Korutla town of Jagtial district in Telangana and from a Dalit (Mala) family, joined the CPI (ML) People’s War Group in 1983 and rose to become a top strategist. Security agencies link him to the 2010 Dantewada ambush in Chhattisgarh, where 74 CRPF personnel were killed, among other attacks.
Raji Reddy, from Satharajpalli village in Peddapalli district, joined the Naxalite movement in 1975 and held key positions. The CPI (Maoist) politburo now has only one active member, Misir Besra alias Sagar, while the central committee is down to five from nearly 50. Since 2024, over 500 Maoists have been killed in operations, with 285 in 2025 and 22 so far in 2026. The Telugu leadership in the party has been largely decimated.
