Maoist boss Ganpathy may have fled country

Bhopal: Top Naxal leader Ganpathy who has recently relinquished his position as CPI (Maoist) general secretary due to ill health, was suspected to have fled to Philippines.

Naxal commander Mupalla Laxman Rao alias Ganpathy has escaped to Nepal and then fled to Philippines from there, a senior police officer of Chhattisgarh disclosed to this newspaper on Friday requesting anonymity.

“We are keeping a watch on the development. Phone calls of senior Naxal leaders believed to be in touch with Ganpathy are being intercepted to trace his hideout in Philippines”, the intelligence officer of Chhattisgarh police said.

Intelligence sources said he was undergoing treatment in his hideout in Philippines.

Ganpathy, now 71, has a long association with People’s War Group (PWG), which later took the form of CPI (Maoist).

The Naxal commander who carried a bounty of Rs 2.52 crore by several state governments and Central forces, was elected general secretary of PWG in 1992.

He later became the CPI (Maoist) as general secretary in 1992 and retained the position till November ten, 2018 when he was replaced by Neballa Kesav Rao alias Basav Raju, the military head ofv the outlawed outfit.

A press release issued by the Central Committee of CPI (Maoist) general secretary due to ill health.