Status: Not ApprovedHEAD: 24_Hyd_SRU_SumathiByline: U Sudhakar ReddySumathi, the woman cop at the centre of Telangana’s top Maoist surrendersU Sudhakarreddy@timesofindia.comHyderabad: Inspector General of Police Badugula Sumathi, the IPS officer heading the Special Intelligence Branch, an anti-Naxal agency in Telangana police, emerged as a key player in the top leadership’s surrender, which police described as the closing phase of the Maoist movement in the state. Over the past 2 years, 591 Maoists surrendered, alongside a few encounters, during her stint as SIB chief. Senior officers said Sumathi and her team played a key role in planning and ground coordination, including during the Tuesday surrender of Devji alias Thippiri Tirupati and 3 others.DGP credits SIB team for top-level surrendersDirector General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy, speaking on Tuesday during the surrender of top Maoist leaders, including Tippiri Tirupati alias Devji, publicly credited Sumathi and her team.“Special Intelligence Branch Inspector General B Sumathi and her team worked well in the surrenders of several top Maoist leaders. She was able to explain the current circumstances to the Maoist leaders and persuade 4 of the top leaders to join the mainstream. Intelligence IG Vijay Kumar also did commendable work,” the DGP said.The 591 surrenders during her tenure included 4 central committee members and 16 state committee members, according to the inputs.From counter-intelligence to anti-Maoist operationsSumathi’s policing career spans intelligence, anti-terror work, and field postings. She earlier worked as Superintendent of Police, Counter-Intelligence Cell (Intelligence Department) in undivided Andhra Pradesh, where she was involved in operations targeting IM-linked modules and left-wing extremist networks. She was instrumental in the interrogation of Indian Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, and ISIS cadres. Colleagues said this sharpened her intelligence and operational skills.She started as a Deputy Superintendent of Police, rose through the ranks, and was later inducted into the IPS. She also worked as DCP North Zone in Hyderabad and began anti-Maoist work in 2015 while serving as Medak SP.Her move into SIB came in December 2023, when she was transferred from DIG, CID (Women Protection Cell), to DIG, SIB (Intelligence), a wing described as sensitive and central to anti-Maoist intelligence.Women’s safety, technology and recognitionBeyond intelligence work, Sumathi’s career also included women’s safety and victim-support initiatives. In Medak district, she was credited with conceptualising and implementing a multi-disciplinary distress intervention model for cases where police or court outcomes did not address underlying trauma. As DIG, Women Safety Wing and CID, she also backed CybHER (“Safe for Her”), which the Women Safety Wing said was ideated by senior leadership, including DIG Sumathi Badugula.During the recent Medaram Jatara, she played a key role in transforming the Telangana police through the TGQuest project.She was included in the Republic Day 2026 medal list of the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Medal for Meritorious Service. When contacted, she refused to comment on her work on the anti-Maoist front.Ends MSID:: 128754584 413 |
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