In a major setback to the Maoists, the kingpin behind the procurement and supply of rocket launchers to the outlawed organization surrendered before the police in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday evening.

Srinivas Reddy alias Raghu alias Tech Madhu, who heads the technical wing of the Andhra Pradesh state committee of the Communist Party of India-Maoist surrendered along with his wife Sudharani alias Vasanta before Warangal Superintendent of Police Soumya Mishra. The couple will be produced before a magistrate later Tuesday night.

Tech Madhu has been eluding the police in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh ever since the seizure of 875 rocket shells and launchers and other ammunition, meant to be delivered to Maoists, from the godowns of a transport company in Mahbubnagar and Prakasam districts on September 8 this year.

This was the largest haul of rocket shells in the country. Preliminary investigation by AP and Chennai police into the transportation of rocket shells, rocket launchers and other ammunition had indicated that three consignments, consisting of 149 gunny bags and weighting 5,120 kg, were sent to AP through a private transporter ever since August 2005.

Tamil Nadu's Q Branch and the Special Investigation Team of AP police found that Tech Madhu had masterminded a major arms procurement network for Maoists in Chennai. With his technical expertise, he had coordinated with seven foundries, including his own Bharath Fine Engineering, in Ambattur area near Chennai to manufacture spare parts for assembling 1,000 rocket shells and launchers over the last three years.

Madhu, alongwith Vasanta, also a technical expert, stayed in a house at Korattur, a suburb of Chennai. Soon after the rockets and other arms haul by the AP police, the couple fled Chennai on September 9. The Chennai police raided his residence and the manufacturing units and sealed them on September 15. Seven persons, including the owners of the foundries and an agent of Kranti Transport Company that had transported the consignments to AP, were arrested.

The Q Branch had seized a diary belonging to Tech Madhu, which indicated that he was contemplating surrendering before police and had even convinced his wife. After eluding the police for almost six weeks, Madhu and Sudharani surrendered before the Warangal SP.