Intel Officer Shares Details On Op He Led To End Maoist Madvi Hidma

A high-level intelligence operation in Andhra Pradesh has resulted in the death of notorious Maoist leader Madvi Hidma. Security forces launched the strike after days of closely tracking Maoist movement, with the officials saying they "waited for the right opportunity and today, that entire action is being taken."

The encounter unfolded today in the Maredumilli forest of Alluri Sitharamaraju district near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. Hidma, responsible for leading at least 26 armed attacks against security forces and civilians, was among six rebels killed. His wife, Raje, and four of his armed guards were also found dead at the site.

Specific Intelligence Triggered The Operation

Mahesh Chandra Ladha, ADG Intelligence, Andhra Pradesh, who led the intel-based ops, said the breakthrough came after intelligence indicated that senior Maoist leaders entered in Andhra Pradesh in an attempt to revive their movement. "In the last one or two days, we had a very specific intelligence that few of the top Maoist leaders are entering into Andhra Pradesh and they are planning to revive the movement," Ladha said.

He added, "So, all they were trying to take shelter and revive the movement in Andhra Pradesh. So keeping a continuous watch on that, we have waited for the right opportunity and today, that entire action is being taken. It is also reported that few Maoists have run away from the encounter place, combing operation is still going on. Hopefully, we should be able to arrest them shortly."

Read | What Amit Shah Told NDTV About Fight Against Maoist Leader Hidma

Weapons Recovered 

From the location, security teams recovered a considerable cache of arms and equipment. Ladha said, "We have recovered a few arms and ammunition, particularly AK-47-2, pistol-1, revolver-1, single bore weapon-1 and other materials along with kit bags and all. The body is being shifted, the post-mortem will be done as per the due process and necessary action will be taken after that."

Read | The Making Of Madvi Hidma And What His End Means In Fight Against Red Terror

Who Is Hidma?

Born in 1981 in Sukma, then in Madhya Pradesh, Hidma rose to lead a battalion of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army and became the youngest member of the Central Committee, the CPI Maoist's top decision-making body. He was the only tribal member from the Bastar region on the central committee. Hidma carried a bounty of Rs 50 lakh.

Hidma is known for his role in several major Maoist attacks. These include the 2010 attack in Dantewada that claimed the lives of 76 CRPF personnel and the 2013 ambush in Jhiram Ghati that left 27 people, including top Congress leaders, dead. He also played a key role in the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush in which 22 security personnel were killed.