India, Oct. 16 -- Senior Maoist leader and CPI (Maoist) politburo member Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Bhupathi surrendered before chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with 60 cadres of the banned outfit, at a ceremony in Gadchiroli on Wednesday morning.

Bhupathi, who carried a combined bounty of around Rs.6 crore announced by six states- Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha-laid down 54 weapons, including seven AK-47s and nine INSAS rifles as he and his associates surrendered before Fadnavis.

According to police sources, Bhupathi and his associates had first surrendered before the Gadchiroli police on Monday night near Laheri, bordering the Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh's Bastar region....