7 Maoists killed, 50 arrested

 

 

 

A DAY after six Maoists were gunned down at Maredumilli in Andhra Pradesh, seven more died in another exchange of fire in the vicinity on Wednesday and 50 CPI (Maoist) cadres were arrested across five districts in a coordinated Intelligence-led operations, police said. Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada, Mahesh Chandra Laddha, ADGP, Intelligence said three women were among those died on Wednesday. “In continuation with Tuesday’s operation, seven Maoists have died until now (on Wednesday), according to information received from the field,” Laddha said, adding that today’s operation occurred about 7 km away from the initial exchange of fire (EOF) site on Tuesday.

 

According to the senior officer, the seven Maoists were killed around 7 am on Wednesday at Maredumilli in Alluri Sitaramaraju district. Even as the identification of the slain Maoists is underway, Laddha said one of them was identified as Meturi Jokha Rao alias Tech Shankar. Shankar, a native of Srikakulam, was in-charge (CCM) for Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) and had specialised in technical operations such as arms manufacturing and communication, the official said, based on preliminary information.

 

According to Laddha, Shankar had been in the Maoist movement for about 20 years and continuous security operations compelled him to move. Further, Laddha noted that Shankar, a native of Srikakulam, would have probably come to the southern State to revive the movement. “Following Hidma’s killing, we launched a coordinated Intelligence-driven operations across five districts and apprehended 50 CPI (Maoist) cadres,” said ADGP Laddha.

 

The operation was carried out across Krishna, Eluru, NTR, Kakinada and Konaseema districts, including Vijayawada City in a silent, synchronised manner, he said. Police said that the arrested cadres belonged to different ranks within the Maoists, including special zonal committee members, divisional committee members, area committee members and regular party members operating across the south Bastar-Dandakaranya region. According to Laddha, this is one of the most extensive operations undertaken in recent years, resulting in the arrest of 50 Maoist operatives from multiple districts.

 

Personnel from the State Intelligence Department, Special Investigation Branch (SIB), district police units and the Vijayawada Commissionerate took part in the crackdown following inputs on the Maoists movement. Laddha said that many cadres fled from Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and West Bastar districts in Chhattisgarh due to sustained security pressure and they were arrested in Andhra Pradesh. Police recovered 39 weapons, 302 rounds of ammunition, detonators, cordtex wire, communication devices and Rs 13 lakh in cash from various locations during the searches.

 

The ADGP observed that three special zonal committee members and several divisional committee members were among the arrested cadres, marking a significant leadership collapse within the Maoist structure. The operation prevented their reorganisation attempts and dealt a major blow to Maoist networks operating between Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, he added. “The entire operation was executed with silent precision, ensuring no cadre escaped and no civilian was harmed,” SIB chief PHD Ramakrishna said. On Tuesday, six Maoists, including top Naxal commander Madvi Hidma, were killed in an encounter with security personnel in the forested area of Maredumilli mandal. Chhattisgarh Police described Hidma’s death as the “final nail in the coffin” of the insurgency, who had masterminded several attacks over the last two decades.

 

Hidma 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.