Overview
- Deva turned himself in before Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy in Hyderabad on Friday and is in police custody.
- Roughly 15–19 Maoist cadres crossed from Chhattisgarh and surrendered alongside him, according to multiple reports.
- Police say a mounted light machine gun was recovered at the time of the surrender.
- After Madvi Hidma’s November 2025 death, Deva led PLGA Battalion No. 1 and was regarded as a key operational figure.
- Authorities describe the surrender as a major setback for the CPI (Maoist) and indicate further defections are likely, with a media appearance planned for Saturday.