Now around 76, Ganapathi has not resurfaced publicly since citing ill health and advancing age for what the party described as a "voluntary withdrawal". Security agencies say he continues to be listed as absconding in several cases and carries a reward of ₹1 crore.

Reward and multiple cases across states

Official records of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and police units in Telangana and other states list him in multiple case files handled by NIA branches in Kolkata, Ranchi, Hyderabad, Raipur and Mumbai.

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Despite intensified anti-Maoist operations across central India and a wave of recent surrenders, investigators said there has been no credible lead on his whereabouts.

Surrendered leaders tight-lipped

Senior Maoist leaders who surrendered in recent months, including Mallojula Venugopal alias Sonu, Takkelapalli Vasudeva Rao alias Ashanna, Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devji, and Malla Rajireddy alias Sangram, have not disclosed any information about Ganapathi's location.

During interrogations, neither Devji nor Sangram provided clues, Telangana police sources said.

"So far, none of the surrendered leaders has revealed his hideout. Either they don't know, or some who know a little may not be revealing it," an intelligence source said.

Urban shelter or foreign treatment?

Security assessments cited by investigators suggest that Ganapathi's advanced age and limited mobility make prolonged survival in deep forest zones unlikely.

This has shifted focus to the possibility that he may be sheltered within urban networks structures he had earlier encouraged as part of expanding the outfit's "urban work".

Sources in the Telangana police department said it was improbable that he was hiding in forest areas of Telangana or Andhra Pradesh. They did not rule out the possibility that he could be outside India, including in Nepal or the Philippines, possibly for medical treatment. An official said no such information has been established with certainty.

Ideologue who rose through ranks

A native of Beerpur village in Sarangapur mandal of Jagtial district, Ganapathi studied BSc and BEd and worked as a teacher in Karimnagar before joining the Maoist movement in the 1970s.

He rose through the Andhra- and Telangana-origin Maoist stream, becoming general secretary of CPI (ML) (People's War) in 1992. After the formation of CPI (Maoist) in September 2004, he headed the unified party.

Party documents described him as an ideological strategist and political organiser rather than a battlefield commander, responsible for policy direction, liaison with front organisations and building support structures.

Agencies continue to treat Ganapathi as a high-value fugitive, but his trail has gone cold for years, prompting speculation within official circles about whether his absence reflects a planned underground strategy or an ageing leader's retreat from active involvement.