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In a dramatic and decisive operation early on Tuesday, six Maoist insurgents - including the dreaded CPI (Maoist) leader Madvi Hidma, his wife, and four others - were killed in a gunfight with security forces in the dense forests of Maredumilli, in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
Sources said that Hidma, along with his small group, was attempting to flee from Chhattisgarh when intelligence units detected their movement along the tri-state border area between Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. Acting on these inputs, specialized anti-insurgency teams, notably the elite Andhra Pradesh Greyhounds, mounted a combing operation late on Monday night.
The firefight began between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., according to officers, in the thick terrain of the Maredumilli hills. The operation lasted for several minutes, forces later took time to sanitise the area just to ensure there remained no loose ends.
Madvi Hidma, 51, has been a central committee member and is known by aliases such as Santosh, was one of the most wanted Maoist commanders in India. He was the leader of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, and is believed to have orchestrated at least 26 lethal attacks on security personnel over the years. His death is expected to deal a major blow to the insurgent network in central India.
During a post-encounter search, forces recovered heavy weapons, including AK-47 rifles, from the site. Authorities have confirmed that the other four killed cadres were part of Hidma’s inner circle, though their identities are still being verified.
Security officials described the operation as meticulously planned and executed. Spotting the group during their attempted escape, the Greyhounds struck swiftly, cutting off all routes of retreat. According to local police leadership, there was “no chance of surrender” once the unit closed in.
This encounter marks a significant success for India’s ongoing campaign against Maoist insurgency. In recent months, the security forces have intensified combing operations, and several underground cadres have surrendered. Security forces are claiming that such neutralisation operations are weakening the group’s leadership structure.
The Greyhounds, a highly trained paramilitary unit established by the Andhra Pradesh police, specialise in anti-Maoist operations in challenging rural and forest terrain. Their ability to operate in deep jungle, combined with precise intelligence support, has made them a key pillar in the country’s strategy to curb left-wing extremism.
