Andhra Pradesh Security Forces Deliver Major Blow to Maoist Networks Through Strategic Operations

Andhra Pradesh security forces have successfully prevented Maoists from reorganizing after Operation Kagar in Chhattisgarh and have significantly weakened the Left-Wing Extremist (LWE) group through consecutive successful encounters in forest regions and urban arrests.

These operations, conducted across the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh-Odisha tri-junction and urban areas, represent a definitive move toward eliminating left-wing extremism from the region.

Following yesterday's elimination of notorious Maoist leader Madvi Hidma and five associates, Andhra Pradesh security forces recovered seven additional Maoist casualties—four men and three women—after a second encounter this morning.

This latest confrontation reportedly occurred between 6-7 am in the dense forest of Alluri Sitarama Raju district near the Andhra-Chhattisgarh-Telangana tri-junction.

While authorities are working to identify the deceased, early reports suggest one significant casualty could be Metturu Joga Rao, also known as Tech Shankar, reportedly the Central Committee's Andhra-Odisha Border (AoB) area commander.

Tech Shankar was known as a highly specialized operative, recognized for researching and producing sophisticated weapons and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Security forces have seized a significant weapons cache from the location, including eight firearms with two AK-series rifles among them.

Tuesday's operation in the Maredumilli forest area of Alluri Sitarama Raju district resulted in six Maoist casualties. Most significant among them were Central Committee member and PLGA Battalion No. 1 chief Madvi Hidma and his wife Madakam Raje, a Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) member. Hidma, the only tribal leader to ascend to the Central Committee, was known for orchestrating numerous brutal attacks, including the 2010 Tadmetla massacre.

Hidma's elimination, occurring just days before a central government deadline for his capture, represents a major psychological setback for the Maoist movement, particularly in the Bastar region.

Shortly after the initial encounter, Andhra Pradesh police, led by state intelligence chief Mahesh Chandra Laddha, the elite anti-terrorist unit OCTOPUS, and district police conducted rapid multi-district raids targeting the Maoists' critical logistical and urban support networks.

The enforcement action resulted in the apprehension of 50 CPI (Maoist) operatives across Krishna, Eluru, NTR Vijayawada, Kakinada, and Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema districts. Nine arrestees were reportedly former personal security personnel for the current CPI (Maoist) General Secretary, Thippiri Tirupathi, known as Devuji.

The operation revealed that numerous operatives, primarily from Chhattisgarh, had integrated into urban centers, disguising themselves as migrant workers and daily wage laborers to establish bases and facilitate the network.

Significant confiscations included diverse weapons such as pistols, revolvers, double-barrel bore guns, and locally manufactured single-barrel firearms. Essential documentation expected to reveal critical information about the organization's structure, financing, and sympathizers has also been recovered.

These encounters and mass arrests form part of a comprehensive strategy to neutralize both the military operations in forest areas and the essential logistical and communication support systems in urban peripheries.

Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta declared the operation a major success and committed to continuing anti-Maoist operations until the region is completely liberated from Maoist influence.