Top Maoist Commander, 36 years on the run, surrenders with 8 aides in Andhra Pradesh

Vijayawada (The Uttam Hindu): Just 24 hours before the deadline for the complete elimination of Naxalism from the country, security forces in Andhra Pradesh achieved a major and historic success. A top Maoist commander, Suresh, along with eight other dreaded associates, surrendered to the police. Most shockingly, Suresh, the main commander, had been carrying out his horrific activities underground for the past 36 years. Now, the process of bringing all these Naxalites into the mainstream has begun under the government's rehabilitation policy.

Commander Suresh had been fooling the police for 36 years

The most dreaded name among the nine Naxalites who surrendered in Vijayawada is that of top Maoist commander Chelluri Narayana Rao, alias Aka Suresh. Suresh had been living underground, evading police radar, for the past 36 years. He was a key member of the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee and the secretary of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee. Besides Suresh, the other eight surrendered, including area committee members and platoon commanders from Chhattisgarh and Odisha. All of them laid down their arms before Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta.

Received a huge reward of Rs 25 lakh on surrender

Under the Andhra Pradesh government's "Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy," these Naxalites who have returned to the mainstream are being provided substantial financial assistance. Under this policy, dreaded commander Suresh will receive a cash reward of ₹2.5 million (2.5 million rupees), while the remaining eight members will receive rewards ranging from ₹100,000 to ₹500,000 (500,000 rupees) depending on their rank and position. Furthermore, the Director General of Police (DGP) also handed over cash assistance of ₹20,000 each to all nine Naxalites on the spot as immediate relief to help them start their new lives.

The main accused in several horrific incidents, including the murder of two MLAs

Police interrogation has revealed significant revelations about Suresh, a top commander who surrendered, and other Maoists. Suresh's criminal record is extremely horrific. He was the mastermind of several major and bloody Maoist attacks in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. Suresh was also the main accused in the sensational 2018 murders of former MLA Kidari Sarveshwar Rao and former MLA Sivari Someshwar Rao. Furthermore, he has been directly involved in several deadly ambushes against security forces.

Weapons cache recovered, Maoist activities reduced to zero in Andhra Pradesh

Police also recovered a large cache of weapons from the surrendered Maoists. The seized weapons included an INSAS rifle, two BGL weapons, five .303 rifles, five SBBL guns, and six single-shot rifles. Police also seized a large quantity of lethal explosives, ammunition, and communication equipment. DGP Harish Kumar Gupta made a major announcement at a press conference, stating that due to continuous police action, underground Maoist activities in Andhra Pradesh have now been completely eliminated. Sharing statistics, he said that in seven recent encounters, eight Maoists, including three top Central Committee members, have been killed, while 81 have been arrested and 106 have surrendered.