Nakka Susheela Rani (57), a native of Bodhan in Nizamabad district, surrendered before Nizamabad SP P Sai Chaitanya on Tuesday after spending nearly 34 years in the CPI (Maoist) underground network.
Hyderabad : Nakka Susheela Rani (57), a CPI (ML) People’s War and CPI (Maoist) leader who spent 34 years underground, surrendered before Nizamabad commissioner of police P Sai Chaitanya on Tuesday. Police said Susheela, a native of Shakkar Nagar in Bodhan, joined the banned outfit in 1992 and remained underground until 2025, when intensified operations forced her to relocate to an urban area. One of the most significant incidents in her underground life occurred in April 1998 in the Nallamala forest. Police said a colleague, Somla Nayak, collected the weapons of sleeping cadres and opened fire with an AK-47. Police said she was involved in several encounters between 2001 and 2024. Her first husband, Rammohan Rao, was killed in an encounter in 2001. Her second husband, state committee member Samala Venkateshwarlu alias Sudershan, was killed in 2006. After being moved to an urban area in March 2025, Susheela decided to surrender. Under the Telangana govt’s rehabilitation policy, she received ₹5 lakh in reward benefits and ₹25,000 interim relief. Police noted that 266 Maoist cadres have surrendered in Telangana so far in 2026, taking the total since 2024 to 824.
Police said a firearm injury had left her with a rod in her thigh, affecting her ability to continue in the Maoist military wing. Known by aliases including Latha, Lalitha, Rela, Jyothi, Madhavi and Swetha, she worked as a divisional committee member and a member of the education department committee of the Maad divisional committee in Chhattisgarh. She studied in Hyderabad, completed a BSc at Vanitha Junior and Degree College, and enrolled on a BEd course but did not appear for the final examinations. Two cadres were killed, and Susheela suffered bullet injuries to her chest and leg. Another woman cadre, Shantakka, was also shot and died while fleeing. Susheela survived by hiding among boulders and realised the attack had been carried out by her colleague rather than the police. After allegedly being attacked with a stone, she pretended to be dead. She survived in the forest for a week before receiving help and undergoing surgery.