Maredumilli, Andhra Pradesh: In a major continuation of intensified anti-Naxal operations, security forces on Wednesday killed seven Maoist cadres—including three women—in the dense forests of Maredumilli in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district. The encounter comes just a day after elite units neutralised top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma and five others in the same region.
Senior Maoist Leader ‘Shankar’ Identified Among the Dead
Andhra Pradesh Additional Director General (ADG) of Intelligence, Mahesh Chandra Laddha, confirmed that one of the slain rebels has been identified as Meturi Jokha Rao, better known by his aliases Shankar or Tech Shankar.
- Role: Shankar was an Area Committee Member (ACM) for the highly sensitive Andhra–Odisha Border (AOB) region.
- Expertise: He was regarded as a skilled technician within the CPI (Maoist), specialising in arms fabrication, communications, and other technical operations.
- Significance: Officials noted that his death marks a substantial loss for the Maoists’ technical and logistical capabilities.
Operation Based on Precise Intelligence
The latest encounter is part of ongoing coordinated operations launched after Tuesday’s high-impact strike against Hidma’s group.
“In continuation with Tuesday’s operation, seven Maoists have died until now, according to information received from the field,” ADG Mahesh Chandra Laddha said.
He added that forces had been tracking Maoist cadres attempting to infiltrate Andhra Pradesh from neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
Security personnel recovered the bodies of four male and three female Maoists from the site. Identification of the remaining six rebels is underway.
Back-to-Back Success for Security Forces
Tuesday’s encounter, which resulted in the elimination of Madvi Hidma—one of India’s most wanted Maoist leaders and head of the PLGA Battalion No. 1—marked one of the most decisive successes for anti-Maoist forces in recent years. Hidma’s wife and five other cadres were also killed.
The twin operations are being seen as a major setback to CPI (Maoist) capabilities across the AOB and Bastar regions, where they have historically maintained strong influence.
