NEW DELHI/RAIPUR: A well-attended cremation of a “senior leader” in the CPI (Maoist) stronghold of Bijapur in south Bastar has led the Chhattisgarh police and central agencies to suspect that the dead leader is none other than the “most-wanted” CPI (Maoist) central committee member and secretary of Dandkarenya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), Ravula Srinivas alias Ramanna .Ramanna (55) had a combined bounty of Rs 1.37 crore on him across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Telangana. Though originally from Siddipet in Telangana , he spent most of his life in Bastar and was involved in Maoist activities for the past three decades. He is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2010 Dantewada massacre of 75 CRPF men, 2012 Jheeram Ghati attack in which senior Congressmen were killed; and the 2017 Burkapal ambush that killed 25 CRPF personnel.Information trickling in suggests Ramanna may have died of a heart attack in the forests of Bijapur. “What we have learnt is that a senior member of the CPI (Maoist) was cremated near Pamed in Bijapur, a district in Chhattisgarh that borders Telangana, in the presence of a large number of Maoist cadres. We suspect that the cremated leader was Ramanna, though there is no confirmation yet. There hasn’t been any media statement from the CPI (Maoist) either confirming his death,” Chhattisgarh DGP D M Awasthi told TOI on Tuesday.A senior CRPF official, who did not want to be identified, said the force too has asked its sources on the ground to confirm. The caution can be explained by the fact that this is not the first time that news of Ramanna’s death has surfaced. There have been earlier occasions when he himself spread rumours of his death, only to resurface to execute a big attack.A CRPF officer said the latest news of Ramanna’s “cremation” may well be another strategy to stage his death, possibly to facilitate him in getting admitted and treated at a hospital. The DKSZC secretary is known to suffer from diabetes.Bastar IG P Sundarraj told TOI that the death of Ramanna is “almost confirmed”. “Information that Ramanna suffered a heart attack deep in forests of Bijapur has been doing the rounds for the past three days. I can’t officially confirm it yet, since we haven’t found the body, but evidence and inputs corroborate the news,” he said.CPI (Maoist) is yet to issue a statement of confirmation, but it is expected soon, the IG added. Such statements are said to usually take some time as CPI (Maoist) must make sure that a senior leader’s death doesn’t jolt the cadres and the release is written in a manner that it keeps the morale high.As DKSZC secretary since October 2011 and central committee member since 2013, Ramanna was known to run Maoist operations in Bastar with an iron grip and always went around armed with an AK-47. He is said to have built the CPI (Maoist) organisation in Bastar by recruiting locals in a big way.Ramanna joined CPI (Maoist) in 1982 and came to Dandakaranya in 1988. In 2006, he was made secretary of Southern Bastar region. He married a Dalam member, Savitri alias Sodhi Hidme, in 1994 and they have a son, Ranjeet, who is a Maoist active in Kistaram region. Savitri is secretary of Maoists’ Kistaram area committee.