HYDERABAD: In a major setback to the CPI (Maoist), three State Committee members were among 37 underground cadres who surrendered before the Telangana Police on Saturday. Seven cadres belonging to the KM Divi sion Committee handed over eight firearms to the police, including one AK-47 rifle, two SLRs, four 303 rifles, and one G3 rifle, along with 343 rounds of live ammunition.
Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy said the Maoists chose to return to the mainstream due to sustained pressure from security forces, ideological differences, and internal rifts within the organisation.
State Committee members Koyyada Sambaiah alias Azad, Appasi Narayana alias Ramesh, and Muchaki Somada alias Erra were each given 20 lakh through cheques upon surrender. Sambaiah and Ramesh had been underground for 31 and 32 years respectively, while Erra had also been underground for several years.
Cadres of DVCM/CyPCM rank received Rs 25 lakh each, Area Committee Members (ACM/PPCM) received Rs 4 lakh, and party members were given Rs 21 lakh each.
Under Home Ministry guidelines, surrendered Maoists are eligible for additional rewards for handing over firearms -- Rs 4 lakh for an AK-47 rifle, Rs 2 lakh for an SLR, Rs 1 lakh for a .303 rifle, and Rs 5,000 for a 410 Musket rifle. In total, Rs 1.41 crore was distributed among the 37 cadres.
In 2025 alone, 465 underground cadres surrendered before the Telangana police. This included two Central Committee Members (CCMs), 11 State Committee Members (SCMs), two Divisional Committee Secretaries (DVCS), 11 Divisional Committee Members (DVCMs/CyPCMs), and 44 Area Committee Members (ACMs/PPCMs).
As of today, 59 underground cadres of the CPI (Maoist) hail from Telangana, including five of the eight CCMs.
The surrendered cadres said they decided to join the mainstream due to relentless security force operations on their forest hideouts, as well as health and personal issues.