Chalapathi aka Appa Rao, a top Naxalite commander who carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head was gunned down by security forced in Chattisgarh's Gariaband district on Monday night (January 20). Chalapathi was a high-ranking operative who worked so secretly for decades that security forces didn't even know how he looks like. But Chalapathi made a mistake back in 2016. He clicked a selfie with his wife which the authorities found stored in a confiscated laptop. Search for Chalapathi gained pace over the years.
Home Minister Amit Shah took to social media platform X to hail the development as a 'mighty blow to Naxalism'. Though he did not take the name of Chalapati but said that 14 Naxalites were killed by the security forces.
"...Naxalism is breathing its last," said Shah in his post
Who Was Chalapati?
Chalapati (60) was a prominent Maoist leader who was involved in Naxalite activities in Abujhmad, an area with dense forests located in Chhattisgarh's Bastar. He was from Chittool in Andhra Pradesh.
Media reports said that Chalapati moved his base from Abujhmad to a location near Odisha border due to increasing encounters with security forces in Abujhmad.
Chalapati was involved in naxal activities for decades and was among key strategisers. He even led operations for Maoists.
The importance of Chalapati in Maoist ranks was apparent from the fact that he had 8 to 10 Maoist fighters as his personal guard.
'Selfie' Gave Chalapati Away
Security forces have been chasing Chalapati for decades but for the most part, they had photos of him which were at best blurry.
In 2016 however, authorities hit a jackpot!
As they were examining laptop of a dead moist, the security officials found a photo of Chalapathi and his wife Aruna. The selfie, apparently taken from a smartphone, was very clear. The images of both, Chalapati and his wife were circulated, both with security personnel and among the public.
This help streamline search for the top Naxal and even his wife who carried a bounty of Rs 5 Lakh on her head.
