Telangana intelligence agencies nab notorious Maoist figure Sanjoy Deepak Rao

Sanjoy Deepak Rao, a high-profile Maoist figure, who held the position of Central Committee Member within the CPI (Maoist) has been apprehended by intelligence agencies in India’s southern state of Telangana.

Telangana Intelligence Department officials, in coordination with Cyberabad Police, apprehended Rao near Malaysian Township in Kukatpally on a Friday morning.

The Hindu reports that while apprehending the Maoist figure, law enforcement also confiscated a revolver containing six live rounds, a laptop, and various items, alongside a sum of ₹47,250 (around $568) in cash from Rao.

Anjani Kumar, the Director-General of Police (DGP) of the state, confirmed that the Telangana state’s Intelligence Bureau had been monitoring Rao, a prominent target, for a long time.

The Government of Maharashtra had previously offered a ₹25 lakh (around $30,066) cash reward for information leading to his arrest.

Rao had arrived in Hyderabad approximately four days before his arrest, intending to travel to Maad, Chhattisgarh, for a meeting. Based on specific intelligence, Cyberabad Police intercepted and detained him on Friday morning.

As per the police, “He has been planning to go to Maad, Chhattisgarh to attend a meeting and to meet Baswaraj, General Secretary, CPI Maoist, Ganapathi, CCM, etc., leaders. Ranjith Shankaran, Professor of Mahindra Tech University who resides in Malaysian township in Kukatpally, and B. Ajith Kumar, Film Editor from Madhapur, are his friends from college.”

The authorities plan to take Rao into police custody for interrogation to ascertain his involvement in unlawful activities.

“He will be taken to police custody and interrogated for eliciting his involvement in various unlawful activities, his area of operation and his links with the activists in front and mass organisations in Telangana. He is wanted by police of Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). The Government of Maharashtra had declared ₹25 lakh cash reward for the informant leading to his apprehension. His arrest will be a serious blow to the proscribed Maoist Terrorist Organisation,” said Kumar.

Who is Sanjoy Deepak Rao?

“A native of Shivagandha Nagar of Ambernath East district of Thane, Maharashtra, Rao got attracted towards the Left Wing Extremist ideology having been influenced by his father, who was a strong Communist trade union leader,” said Kumar.

Reportedly, while pursuing his B. Tech degree in Jammu and Kashmir in 1983, Rao and some friends expressed support for the separatist movement in Kashmir. Upon his return from J&K, he initially engaged with the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI ML) Central Reorganisation Committee (CRC) group and the CPI ML Rawoof group.

In 1999, Rao, along with Konath Muralidharan (known as Ajith), Ex-CCM, established the CPI ML Naxalbari Group. Rao took charge of the Maharashtra State CPI ML Naxalbari group, while Muralidharan became the All India Secretary.

(With inputs from agencies)