Hyderabad, Feb. 26 -- Telangana police have launched a manhunt to trace most-wanted Maoist leader Muppala Lakshman Rao alias Ganapathy, who is believed to be somewhere in Nepal, officials familiar with the matter said. A senior official said there was specific information gathered from surrendered Maoist leaders that Ganapathy, who had been hiding in Bastar area for quite a long time, had moved to Nepal likely three or four years ago, after the security forces intensified their anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh. "The veteran Maoist leader is said to be suffering from serious health issues and is currently unable to walk due to his deteriorating condition. We are making efforts to track him and bring him back to India," the official said. State director general of police B Shivadhar Reddy cited intelligence inputs and claimed that Ganapathy was not staying in Chhattisgarh forests anymore. "We have information that he is currently taking shelter at an undisclosed location outside the forest areas," the DGP said, without elaborating further. "With the help of information gathered from various sources, we are confident of apprehending him," he said. A former teacher hailing from Beerpur village of Telangana's Jagitial district, Ganapathy is one of the only three central committee members left in the banned Communist Paty of India (Maoist) - the other two being Pasunuri Narahari (55) also from Telangana's Hanamkonda district and Misir Besra from Jharkhand. The 76-year-old veteran leader, who had earlier headed the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War, was elected as the first general secretary of the CPI (Maoist). After building the Maoist party network across the country, Ganapathy relinquished the party general secretary post in 2018 due to health reasons, paving way for Nambala Kesava Rao alias Basvaraj, who was killed in an encounter in May 2025. Though Ganapathy continued as the central committee and politburo member of the CPI (Maoist), he has not been active in the party due to age-related issues. "If Ganapathy is apprehended by the police, it could mark a decisive end to the Maoist movement, potentially turning the party into a chapter of history," the official quoted above said....