Telangana cops foil Maoists’ bid to shift base to Adilabad forests

Hyderabad: As Operation Kagar reached its final stage, an important development emerged: the Maoists made a last attempt to shift towards the Mangi area in the forests of Adilabad, beyond the Kawal Tiger Reserve, to carve out a fresh operational base in Telangana. The plan was to use the thick forest belt in Mangi as a new headquarters and, from there, revive movement and operations, including in Mulugu. According to Telangana police sources, as maoists were forced to vacate the Maad and Bastar areas, they made a final effort to relocate. However, the attempt was disrupted in stages by the Telangana police.The first setback came with the arrest of Yerragandla Ravi alias Prashant, and others while they were moving towards Adilabad through Asifabad. This was followed by the arrest of Badise Deva while he was moving with a PLGA battalion. Top Maoist leader Devji was also expected to move into the Adilabad zone, but after the arrests of Deva and others, he reportedly changed direction towards other states, where he was later picked up.According to Telangana police sources, Maoist cadres attempted to take shelter in Telangana forests as security forces intensified operations following Operation Kagar. With Maoist presence being cleared from the Maad and Bastar areas, leaders linked to the Karreguttalu operation tried to enter Telangana and establish a base in the Mangi area of Adilabad. Initially, Ravi alias Prashant, along with another Maoist commander also known as Prashant, was heading towards Adilabad. Both, along with other cadres, were holed up in a house in Asifabad. They used transport outside the forest zone, but inside the forest they moved in guerrilla patterns. Around 500 Greyhounds personnel surrounded the house and forced them to surrender, after which they were arrested.Police sources said Uike Kallu, a company platoon commander, was later tracked on the Telangana side near Karreguttalu in the Mangi area. Greyhounds surrounded three locations in the region. In one instance, drones fitted with microphones were used to address Maoist cadres and ask them to surrender. Badise Deva, who later surrendered, also appealed to them to lay down arms. Kallu's group subsequently left the hillock area after local tribal leaders were involved in counselling them and persuading them to surrender.Arrests & surrenders disrupted shift planBefore these developments, Badise Deva alias Barsa Sukka, a PLGA battalion commander and close associate of slain Maoist leader Madvi Hidma, was caught while moving towards Adilabad. According to police sources, he was intercepted in a Bolero vehicle along with PLGA cadres while carrying 8 AK-47 rifles. Deva later surrendered before Telangana police in early Jan 2026 in Sukma district.Another Maoist leader, Korsa Lakku, a company commander of a PLGA battalion, was also traced in the Mulugu forest region. Field teams were deployed and pressure was mounted on him. Police sources said ground teams were instructed not to open fire and instead focus on securing surrender through counselling. Meanwhile, Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, who police sources said was emerging as a senior Maoist leader after the killing of Basavaraju in 2025, was initially expected to move into the Mangi area of Adilabad. However, after the arrest of Badise Deva and other associates, he reportedly changed direction and tried to move through thick forest areas and eventually towards southern states, where he was intercepted and made to surrender.Police sources said these developments were part of a broader shift in Maoist movement after pressure mounted in Chhattisgarh. Among the senior Telangana-linked Maoist leaders who later laid down arms were Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar, the Telangana state committee secretary, and Nune Narasimha Reddy alias Jampanna or Ganganna.On March 7, a batch of 130 Maoists surrendered before chief minister A Revanth Reddy, handing over 124 firearms. Telangana police sources said the series of arrests, interceptions and surrender operations disrupted attempts by Maoist leadership to establish a fresh operational base in the Adilabad forest belt.