Gadchiroli, Oct. 15 -- In a major setback to the Naxal movement, senior Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal alias Bhupathi or Sonu surrendered before the Gadchiroli police along with 60 of his associates, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
Bhupathi, who served as a member of the Central Committee and Politburo of the banned CPI (Maoist), carried a combined bounty of over Rs 10 crore across several states.
According to sources, he is expected to formally lay down arms before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on October 16.
Speaking to UNI, the Police official described Bhupathi as one of the key strategists of the Maoist movement, who had long operated along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.
However, internal differenc...