Five others also gunned down in Andhra Pradesh

We acted on precise intelligence inputs about the presence of key Maoist leaders in the trijunction forests. Hidma and several others opened fire, leading to a heavy exchange. Six Maoists, including Hidma, were killed on the spot, -Mahesh Chandra Laddha 

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In a massive breakthrough for anti-Maoist operations, Madvi Hidma, one of the country’s most feared Maoist commanders and chief of the CPI (Maoist)’s People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, was killed in a fierce encounter in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. Five other Maoists were also shot dead in the gun battle that unfolded deep inside the Maredumilli forest region of the Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district.

The 43-year-old commander, who carried a Rs 50-lakh reward, was believed to have been accompanied by his second wife, Raje alias Rajakka, who too was among the slain. Senior police officials confirmed Hidma’s death late Tuesday afternoon after completing preliminary identification procedures.

“Hidma has been neutralised. This is a historic step in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism. Multiple Maoist operatives were eliminated in the process, and no police personnel were harmed,” Andhra Pradesh DGP Harish Kumar Gupta declared.

The encounter took place between 6:30 am and 7 am, following a high-risk combing operation by the elite Greyhounds, Octopus units, and local police forces. “We acted on precise intelligence inputs about the presence of key Maoist leaders in the trijunction forests. Hidma and several others opened fire, leading to a heavy exchange. Six Maoists, including Hidma, were killed on the spot,” Additional DGP (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha said.

The forces recovered a cache of weapons from the site, including AK-47 rifles, a pistol, a revolver, a single-bore weapon, 1,525 electrical detonators, 150 non-electrical detonators, explosives, and key Maoist documents. He was wanted in 26 major cases and was the only tribal leader from Bastar to rise to the Maoist Central Committee. Security agencies consistently described him as the most dangerous guerrilla commander in India.

In a dramatic development linked to intelligence generated from the encounter zone, the police launched simultaneous raids in Vijayawada, Kakinada, and Krishna district, arresting 31 Maoist operatives, including nine Central Committee members.ists, including 12 women, were detained from the site. They had rented the premises posing as migrant labourers. Police also uncovered information about four weapon and explosive dumps set up in Vijayawada’s outskirts.

“We conducted coordinated operations in five districts. The arrested group includes top leaders and militia members. Their movements were monitored for weeks,” Krishna SP Vidyasagar Naidu said. ASR SP Amit Bardar, who is supervising ground operations, said:

“We will not allow Andhra Pradesh to become a shelter zone for Maoists. Combing operations have been intensified within a five-kilometre radius of the encounter site.” This is the second major encounter in ASR district in six months and follows the June killings of Central Committee member Gajarla Ravi and Aruna. In October, former Maoist spokesperson Mallojula Venugopal Rao (Abhay) surrendered along with 60 cadres in Maharashtra.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed to eliminate Maoist insurgency nationwide by March 2026. With Hidma’s killing, security experts say the CPI (Maoist) has suffered its most significant operational setback in a decade. s operations continue on the Andhra-Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, police believe more senior cadres may still be hiding in the forest. The hunt is far from over, but Tuesday’s encounter has undeniably shifted the balance.