Hyderabad: Senior CPI (Maoist) functionary Tippiri Tirupati, also known as Devji, has reportedly surrendered to Telangana police, dealing one of the heaviest blows yet to the armed insurgency as the Centre presses toward a March 31 deadline to end Maoist violence nationwide. The 60-year-old Devji, believed to be a Maoist general secretary who carries a reward of Rs 25 lakh in Telangana, surrendered in Mulugu district, according to security sources. Police have not yet formally announced the surrender, which is expected to be made official in coming days.Devji, a native of Karimnagar district, was elevated to general secretary about eight months ago after security forces killed former party chief Nambala Keshava Rao, known as Basavaraju, in May 2025. Up to 20 armed cadres are also expected to surrender alongside Devji, the sources said.The development comes as Union govt intensifies pressure under Operation Kagar, its nationwide push to dismantle left-wing extremism. Union home minister Amit Shah has set March 2026 as the deadline to eliminate Maoist insurgency across the country.Telangana police’s Special Intelligence Bureau, which handles anti-Maoist operations, is monitoring the situation. Senior officials declined comment.CPI (Maoist) has been reeling from leadership losses over the past year. The surrender of senior politburo member Mallojula Venugopal, known as Sonu, was earlier seen as a turning point. Several other top functionaries, including Ashanna, have laid down arms in the past six months.While many Telangana-born Maoist functionaries surrendered in neighbouring Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh over the past year, Devji’s surrender to Telangana police would make him the highest-ranking Maoist ever to give himself up to a security agency in the state.Devji joined the insurgency in the early 1980s.
