​​​​​​​Hyderabad, November 22:In a significant development, 37 Maoist militants, including key members of the Telangana committee, surrendered to the Telangana Police on Saturday, days after a top Maoist leader, Madvi Hidma, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Andhra Pradesh. Among those who laid down their arms were Koyyada Sambaiah alias Azad, Appasi Narayana alias Ramesh, and Muchaki Somada, all senior members of the Dandakaranya state committee. Each of the three leaders had a reward of Rs 20 lakh placed on their heads for information leading to their capture.

The group’s surrender included several individuals with significant bounties on their heads—some with Rs 5 lakh rewards and others carrying Rs 4 lakh for their apprehension. The total amount of rewards for these individuals amounted to Rs 1.41 crore. This sum was disbursed through demand drafts and cheques to each of the surrendered Maoists.

As part of the surrender, the Maoists handed over a cache of weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, two SLRs, four .303 rifles, a G3 rifle, and 343 rounds of live ammunition of various calibers. They will also be eligible for rehabilitation benefits under the state's policy for surrendered militants.

Director General of Police (DGP) B. Shivadhar Reddy addressed the media, attributing the surrenders to sustained pressure from security forces, internal ideological disagreements among the cadres, and rifts within the Maoist leadership. He emphasized that these individuals had voluntarily chosen to return to the mainstream with the support of government initiatives.

Regarding the surrender of Sambaiah and Narayana, who had reportedly been in custody since the previous week, the DGP clarified that their actions were voluntary and not part of an arrest, thus exempting the need for their court production within 24 hours as required for arrests.