Who Was Tech Shankar, Maoist Leader And IED Expert Killed In Security Op

Security forces this week killed one of the most sought-after Maoist operatives in the country: Meturi Jokha Rao, better known within the organisation as Tech Shankar, in the dense forests of Maredumilli in Andhra Pradesh.

A native of Srikakulam district and a veteran of the insurgency for nearly two decades, Shankar was widely regarded as one of the CPI (Maoist)'s top leaders and an expert in improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and weapons manufacturing.

Senior intelligence officials confirmed his death on Wednesday, during the second phase of a two-day operation led by the elite Greyhounds. Addressing reporters in Vijayawada, Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha said that seven Maoists were killed in Wednesday's exchange of fire, about seven kilometres from the site where six others, including top commander Madvi Hidma, were gunned down the previous day.

"Identification is ongoing, but preliminary information confirms that one among those killed today was Meturi Jokha Rao alias Tech Shankar," Laddha said. "He has been in the Maoist movement for about 20 years. Continuous security pressure had forced him to move frequently."

A Specialist In Bombs

Security agencies say Shankar was the head of the technical wing of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), a crucial region for the group's logistics, movement, and training infrastructure.

He was wanted by the National Investigation Agency for his alleged role in multiple high-profile attacks, most prominently the 2014 ambush in which TDP MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao, former MLA S Soma, and Border Security Force personnel were killed. The NIA continues to investigate the case and has previously announced a reward for information leading to his capture.

Shankar specialised in fabricating IEDs for ambushes, assembling firearms, and establishing communication systems in forested terrain. His expertise was frequently deployed in the Andhra-Odisha border region, where Maoist squads have historically staged attacks on police parties and road-opening units.

Back-to-Back Operations 

Shankar's death came less than 24 hours after the killing of Madvi Hidma, arguably the Maoists' most feared field commander. Hidma led the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No 1, the strongest armed formation of the outfit operating across the Dandakaranya region. Chhattisgarh Police described his killing as the "final nail in the coffin" of the group's decades-long insurgency in the Bastar zone.

On Tuesday, six Maoists, including Hidma, were killed in an intense gun battle with security forces in Maredumilli mandal. The area lies within Alluri Sitarama Raju district, a region with dense foliage that historically offered tactical advantage to Maoists.

Early on Wednesday morning, around 7 am, security teams encountered another group of Maoists in the same general region. Seven were killed, including three women. Among them was Tech Shankar.