Goa, Jan. 3 -- In a major setback to the Maoist movement, senior People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) commander Barse Deva has surrendered before Telangana Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy. Deva was a key leader of PLGA Battalion No. 1 - regarded as the most lethal armed wing of the banned CPI (Maoist).

A central figure in the Maoist military structure, Deva is believed to have orchestrated several deadly ambushes across the Dandakaranya forest region and had a substantial reward announced for his capture. Security officials say his surrender marks a decisive achievement in ongoing anti-Maoist operations.

Given that Battalion No. 1 is considered the elite strike unit of the Maoist outfit, Deva's move to abandon the ins...