Maoist Ruben known for 1991 Jagdalpur jailbreak surrenders before Warangal police

Senior Maoist Manda Ruben, known for the 1991 Jagdalpur jailbreak and carrying a Rs 8 lakh bounty, surrendered before Warangal police. Ruben, aged 67, inactive due to ill health, wanted to live with his family after decades underground.

Hanamkonda: A senior Maoist hailing from Warangal, carrying a cash reward of Rs 8 lakh and known for the 1991 Jagdalpur jailbreak, surrendered before the Warangal police on Tuesday.

The 67-year-old Maoist, Manda Ruben, known by aliases Kannanna, Manganna and Suresh, who served as Maoist South Bastar Division Committee Secretary and member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, surrendered before Warangal Commissioner of Police Sunpreet Singh.

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The CP said Ruben, of Vangapadu village of Hasanparthy mandal in Hanamkonda district, went underground in 1979 while working in the hostel mess of REC (NIT Warangal) under the influence of former REC student and former Maoist General Secretary Nambala Keshav Rao. From 1981 to 1986, he worked as a member of the Kunta-Bastar squad under the command of Lanka Papi Reddy. In 1987, he was made Area Committee Member. In 1991, while on his way for medical treatment, he was arrested by Chhattisgarh police at Kothagudem and sent to Jagdalpur Jail. A year later, he escaped along with three others by removing the roof of the jail cell and jumping over the jail compound using a rope made of bedsheets and towels. The incident later became famously known as the Jagdalpur jailbreak. He then rejoined the Maoists.

He worked as an area committee member in the Kunta and Abujhmarh areas until 1999. In the same year, Ruben was married to Podium Bheeme of Gundrayi village in Bijapur district. Serving as Division Committee Member, he became inactive in 2005 due to ill health and stayed with his family in Gundrayi village. He managed poultry and sheep farms, yet continued to provide shelter, food and intelligence on police movements to Maoists, Sunpreet Singh said.

He was allegedly involved in the killing of 20 CRPF jawans in 1988 on the Gollapalli-Maraiguda route and seizing their weapons, besides attacking the Turlapadu police station along with Central Committee member Gopanna in 1990. Ruben, who was suffering from illness, was unable to participate in Maoist activities and, vexed with outdated Maoist principles, wanted to live with his family members by surrendering before the police, the CP said.