Hyderabad: Top Maoist commander Jorige Nagaraju alias Kamlesh and his wife Aruna alias Medaka Jyotheswari surrendered before Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta in Vijayawada on Saturday.
Kamlesh, a Krishna district native and in-charge of the East Bastar Divisional Committee, held the rank of Special Zonal Committee Member in the Dandakaranya region. His wife, also from Krishna, headed the Maoist Mobile Academic Political Organization School.
Police said the couple cited disillusionment with Maoist ideology and Central Committee decisions as the reason for their surrender. Kamlesh carried a ₹20 lakh bounty; Aruna, ₹5 lakh. The DGP handed each ₹20,000 as immediate assistance.
Officials also presented weapons seized last week in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The haul included 18 firearms: one AK-47, two BGLs, five SLRs, two INSAS rifles, 606 live rounds, 37 kg Kardex wire, and other gear.
The DGP distributed ₹22 lakh to 13 surrendered Maoists, including Divisional Committee member Madakam Deva alias Bhagat. In the past year, 48 cadres received ₹64 lakh under the State’s surrender and rehabilitation scheme.
DGP Gupta said five armed encounters occurred recently in AP, leading to the deaths of six Maoists, including top leaders Uday, Aruna, Jagan, and Ramesh. Eight weapons were seized in those operations. Seven underground (UG) cadres were arrested, while 40 surrendered.
He urged remaining UG Maoists to lay down arms. The AP Police, he said, would honour the surrender policy, offering not just reward money but housing and employment support. Twenty AP residents are still active in Maoist ranks across states, including five at SZCM level.
