Police, Government Institutions Were Targets Of Now Thwarted Maoist Plan

Police camps and government institutions in Andhra Pradesh were set to be targeted as part of a plan hatched by central Maoist leadership in response to an anti-Maoist Operation Kagar, police probe has found.

The findings come days after top Maoist commander M Hidma and five others were killed in the Alluri Sitharamaraju district on Tuesday, leading the police to launch a major intelligence-led operation. Fifty CPI (Maoist) operatives were arrested across five districts, and Rs 12.7 lakh cash, 39 firearms, 302 rounds of ammunition, explosives, and digital equipment were seized. 45 of the arrested cadres were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

Those arrested include special zonal committee members, divisional committee members, area committee members and regular cadres operating in the south Bastar-Dandakaranya region. The operation covered Krishna, Eluru, NTR, Kakinada and Konaseema districts, including Vijayawada.

As per the plan, Maoists entered Andhra Pradesh to implement major activities, create unrest, and take revenge for the killings and arrests. The arrests and seizures have been formally registered under multiple sections of law, including the Arms Act, the Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. This sweeping operation is seen as a significant blow to the Maoist leadership in the region, with further investigation underway.

The Chhattisgarh police had 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.