Hyderabad, February 22 Top Maoist commander and the organization's key "strategist," Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, has surrendered, a top police official said on Sunday.
Devji is from Jagtial district in Telangana, and his surrender can be seen as a major blow to the outlawed organization, which now lacks leadership.
Devji (62) is believed to have succeeded the late CPI (Maoist) general secretary, Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, who died in May 2025.
Another senior Maoist leader, Malla Raji Reddy, along with several members of the CPI (Maoist), has also surrendered.
Their surrender comes just days before the Union government's March 2026 deadline to eliminate Naxalism in the country.
"The surrender will be officially confirmed in a couple of days...they are with the Telangana Police," the official told