Badugula Sumathi: Meet the woman cop central to Maoist surrenders in Telangana

Hyderabad: For the past couple of years, inspector general of police Badugula Sumathi had shunned the spotlight, preferring to remain behind the scenes, even while orchestrating one of the biggest surrenders by Maoist leaders.Heading the special intelligence branch (SIB), an anti-Naxal agency of the Telangana police, she emerged as a key player in the likes of Devji and others giving up arms. During her stint in the bureau, 591 Maoists have surrendered of which four are key central committee members and 16 are state committee members.Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy, speaking on Tuesday during Devji's surrender, "B Sumathi was able to explain the current circumstances to the Maoist leaders and persuaded four of the top leaders to join the mainstream. Intelligence IG Vijay Kumar also did commendable work."Counter-intelligence stintKnown to be a tenacious task-master, Sumathi's policing career spans working in the intelligence wing, helping uncover terror networks and field postings. She earlier worked as SP in the counter-intelligence cell in undivided Andhra Pradesh, where she was involved in operations targeting Indian Mujahideen-linked modules. She was instrumental in the interrogation of Indian Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and ISIS cadres too. Colleagues say this sharpened her intel and operational skills.She started as a deputy superintendent of police, rose through the ranks, and was later inducted into the IPS. Her tenure in SIB began in Dec 2023, when she was transferred from DIG, CID (women protection cell), to DIG, SIB (intelligence).Women's safety, technology & recognitionBeyond intelligence work, Sumathi's career also included women's safety and victim-support initiatives. In Medak, she was credited with conceptualising and implementing a multi-disciplinary distress intervention model for cases where police or court outcomes did not address underlying trauma.During the recent Medaram Jatara, one of the biggest gatherings of tribals in the country in Telangana's Mulugu district, she played a key role in transforming the Telangana police through the TGQuest project. The Telangana Quality Evaluation And Systems Team is an AI-driven aerial system that uses drones and other high-end tools for law enforcement.Sumathi was also awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service during the 2026 Republic Day function by the Union ministry of home. When contacted, she refused to comment on her work.