Chalapathi, one of the top seven CPI (Maoist) leaders, was careful in his movements and shrouded in mystery for decades until a selfie with his wife led security forces to him.
He was killed along with 13 "comrades" in a recent operation at the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border.
"Ramachandra Reddy, better known as Chalapathi, was the person who executed the Maoist attack on Nayagarh district in 2008, which resulted in the deaths of 13 security personnel," a senior officer involved in anti-Naxal operations said on Wednesday.
Though Ramakrishna, another top Maoist leader who is now deceased, masterminded the February 15, 2008, attack, Chalapathi was on the ground ensuring the escape of the Maoists after the assault on the police armoury.
Hailing from Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district, Chalapathi had primarily operated in Chhattisgarh and Odisha. In his mid-60s, he had been residing in Darabha, Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district, due to mobility issues.
"Chalapathi began his involvement with the banned People's War Group (PWG) in his early years, rising through the ranks following the CPI(Maoist) merger in 2004," officials said.
He was a fluent reader in Telugu, Hindi, English, and Odia, and an expert in military tactics and guerrilla warfare.
The selfie with Aruna, alias Chaitanya Venkat Ravi, a 'deputy commander' of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), was discovered in an abandoned smartphone recovered following a 2016 gunfight.
This selfie eventually led to his identification and a bounty of Rs 1 crore.
Fourteen Maoists, including Chalapathi, were killed in a gunfight with security forces at the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border.
Two were gunned down on Monday morning, and another 12 were killed in a follow-up encounter late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, police confirmed.
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