(MENAFN- IANS) Gadchiroli, Oct 15 (IANS) Mallojula Venugopal Rao (69), also known as Bhupati or Sonu, spokesperson of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its Central Committee member and 60 others, on Wednesday surrendered in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

A reward of Rs 25 lakh was announced on Rao's head by the Karimnagar Police in 2014.

Rao and others carried a total bounty of about Rs 6 crore before their surrender.

According to police sources, all 61 Maoists joined the mainstream of development on Thursday. CM Fadnavis handed over a copy of the Constitution to the surrendered Maoists.

Rao and 60 other cadres surrendered before the police in Gadchiroli district on Tuesday. They turned themselves in before the police late Monday night, said police sources.

Rao's wife, Tarakka alias Vimala Seedam, a member of the Maoist Zonal Committee, had recently surrendered to the police. In recent months, Gadchiroli district has witnessed a steady stream of Maoists surrendering before the police.

Rao's surrender has brought Peddapalli, his native town, back into the national spotlight more than a decade after the death of his brother Mallojula Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishanji, in an encounter in West Bengal in 2011.

The family members expressed happiness over his decision to join the social mainstream. However, his mother, Madhuramma, who had long awaited his return, passed away in 2022. He became chief of the Maoist Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and was tasked with creating a new guerrilla zone stretching from Goa to Idukki in Kerala.

After the death of Cherukuri Raj Kumar (Azad), Venugopal was appointed the Maoist party's official spokesperson. He is suspected of being one of the masterminds behind the April 2010 Dantewada attack in Chhattisgarh, in which at least 76 CRPF personnel were killed.

Mallojula Dileep, son of Venugopal Rao's brother Anjaneyulu, said the family was overjoyed by his uncle's decision.

"He stayed away from us for a very long time, working for his ideology. My grandmother Madhuramma waited years for his return but passed away in 2022. His surrender is a deeply emotional moment for our family," Dileep told reporters in Peddapalli.

The surrender of Rao and 60 others comes when the Maoist movement has weakened due to sustained operations by central and state forces, resulting in the deaths of several senior Maoist leaders this year. The police sources said the surrender of 61 Maoists is a major victory for security forces and a significant step towards eliminating Maoist influence in line with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that "Naxalism" (Left Wing Extremism) would be completely eradicated by 2026.

Earlier, CM Fadnavis said that in the past four years, no youth or girl from the area had joined the movement and credited this progress to the efforts of C-60 commandos and increasing trust in constitutional governance.

He emphasised the government's commitment to development and peace and expressed confidence in Gadchiroli's transformation into a 'Steel City', ensuring a brighter future for the region.

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