Nagarkurnool arrests Maoist leader Solomon, eight cadres surrender
TELANGANA: Police arrested senior Maoist leader Solomon and four others in the Nallamala forest region of Nagarkurnool district, while eight Maoist militia members from Telangana and Chhattisgarh surrendered before police in neighbouring Peddapalli district on Saturday.
Nagarkurnool superintendent of police Sangramsingh G Patil said Solomon, a Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee member of the Maoist party, was arrested along with his wife Sanbatthi and three sympathisers near Achampet following specific intelligence inputs.
“Based on information that Solomon and his wife were moving in the Amrabad mandal area, surveillance was mounted. They were intercepted while travelling by car from Mannanur towards Achampet,” the SP said.
The three arrested sympathisers were identified as Edla Ambayya, Jakka Balaiah, and Manishetty Yadaiah. All five were remanded to judicial custody.
Police seized ₹1.25 lakh in cash, a car, 20 AK-47 bullets, and five gelatin sticks from the accused.
Solomon linked to multiple deadly attacks on security forces
Solomon, a native of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, is also known as Santhosh and Nagaraj. He joined the then People’s War Group in 1994.
Sanbatthi, his wife, is a resident of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh and has been active in the Maoist party since 2005.
Police said Solomon was involved in several major attacks on security forces, including:
the 2000 blast near Remidicherla on the outskirts of Bollapalli mandal that killed 10 policemen;
the 2014 Kasalpad incident in which 14 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed;
the 2016 Gajulagutta incident in Kishtaram mandal that left five CRPF personnel dead;
the 2020 Minappa outskirts ambush that killed 17 District Reserve Guard and Special Task Force personnel; and
a 2021 incident that claimed the lives of five CRPF personnel.
A reward of ₹20 lakh had been announced on Solomon, while Sanbatthi carried a reward of ₹8 lakh.
Government teacher among Maoist sympathisers arrested
Edla Ambayya, a government teacher from Vankeshwaram village in Padara mandal, Nagarkurnool district, was identified as a Telangana Praja Front co-convenor.
Police said Ambayya secretly met Maoist central committee secretary Tipparthi Tirupati alias Devji and state secretary Chokkarao alias Damodar, offering advice on party activities.
Jakka Balaiah of Mannanur village in Amrabad mandal and former Maoist Manishetty Yadaiah of Camp Rayavaram village in Lingala mandal were also accused of providing logistical support and shelter to Maoists.
Eight Maoist militia members surrender in Peddapalli
In a parallel development, eight Maoist militia members from Telangana and Chhattisgarh surrendered before Ramagundam police commissioner Amber Kishore Jha in Peddapalli district.
Those who surrendered were identified as Dharmaji Srikanth (33) from Telangana and Podiyam Kamulu (30), Mudiyam Joga (25), Kunjam Lakke (23), Modam Bheema (30), Kunjam Unga (25), Mudikam Sukram (25), and Mudiyam Mangu (50) from Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh.
Addressing a press conference, the commissioner said Srikanth, a resident of Vegyam village in Velgatoor mandal, Jagtial district, had worked as a Maoist courier since 2019. He was arrested in 2024 at Wazed police station, later released, and again joined the party in Chhattisgarh.
Kamulu had served as a militia commander and was arrested at Dummugudem police station in 2024 before rejoining the party after his release. Others worked in various capacities, including the cultural wing, jungle committee, party units, and as GAD commanders.
The surrendered cadres were handed over government-announced rewards. Additional deputy commissioner of police Srinivas, assistant commissioner of police Pratap, and inspectors Rajendra Prasad and Bhimesh were present.
