Top naxal commander Madvi Hidma among six Maoists killed in Andhra Pradesh encounter

Top Naxal commander Madvi Hidma and his wife were among the six Maoists killed in an encounter with security personnel in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitaramaraju district on Tuesday, police said.

The death of Hidma, an alleged mastermind of several attacks, was described by Chhattisgarh Police as the "last nail in the coffin" of insurgency.

Alluri Sitaramaraju district superintendent of police (SP) Amit Bardar said the encounter happened between 6.30 am and 7 am in the forested area of Maredumilli mandal.

"Today morning, between 6:30 AM and 7:00 AM, an exchange of fire (EOF) occurred between Maoists and the police party in the Maredumilli Mandal area. During the encounter, six Maoists were neutralised," an official press release said.

Two women and four men were killed in the exchange of fire.

Based on reliable sources and field verification, police confirmed that Hidma, his wife Madakam Raje, Deve, Lakmal (Chaitu), Malla (Mallalu) and Kamlu (Kamlesh) died.

Intelligence inputs over the past few weeks had indicated increased Maoist movement along the Andhra Pradesh–Chhattisgarh–Odisha border, leading to intensified combing operations, police said.

Following the encounter, police seized two AK 47 rifles, one pistol, one revolver and a single bore weapon, a number of electrical and non-electrical detonators, fuse wire, seven kit bags and others.

"Combing operations are continuing in the surrounding areas to ensure complete sanitisation and prevent further Maoist activity," the press release added.

According to the SP, it was a joint operation carried out by various wings of the police department.

Addressing a press conference, Andhra Pradesh Intelligence ADGP Mahesh Chandra Ladda said Maoists from a few battalions were planning to shift to Andhra Pradesh due to continuous pressure in Chhattisgarh.

Consequently, police kept a close and continuous watch on their movements.

"For the last two days, we had very specific intelligence that a few top Maoist leaders were entering the state and were planning to revive the movement," Ladda said, adding that the bodies of the six Maoists were shifted for postmortem, and that the necessary action will be taken thereafter.

Further, police' monitoring in other districts such as NTR, Krishna, Kakinada and Eluru led to the arrest of 31 more members of the proscribed organisation.

Out of the 31 arrested, nine were security guards of central committee member Devji, while the remaining were from the battalion, Ladda said.

It has also been reported that a few Maoists managed to flee from the encounter site, and combing operations are currently under way, the official added.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Police described Hidma's death as the "last nail in the coffin" of the insurgency.

He had masterminded several attacks over the last two decades.

A native of Puvarti village in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, Hidma's age and appearance remained mysterious until his photograph surfaced earlier this year.

He headed the Maoists' People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No.1, the strongest military formation of the outfit in Dandakaranya, which spans parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, and Maharashtra, apart from Bastar, for several years, officials said.