50 Maoists arrested in statewide crackdown

Vijayawada: A massive state-wide crackdown that led to the arrest of 50 Maoists, seizure of Rs.12.72 lakh in cash, 39 weapons, 302 rounds of ammunition and large quantities of explosives and digital material positioned Andhra Pradesh to be declared Maoist-free by March 2026, said additional director general of police (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha on Wednesday.

Addressing the media here, Laddha said the coordinated operation — directly monitored by DGP Harish Kumar Gupta and top intelligence and district police officials — marks one of the most decisive blows to Maoist leadership in recent years. Those arrested include three Special Zonal Committee members, five Divisional Committee members, 19 Area Committee members and 23 regular members, making it the most extensive leadership-level capture seen in Andhra Pradesh in a long time.

All 50 arrested Maoists were presented before the media at the Command Control Room on the AR Grounds. Along with cash and weapons, police seized two magazines, four knives, 750 grams of Cordtex wire, 64 memory cards, and substantial Maoist literature. The accused have been produced before the respective courts.

Giving details of the multi-district operation, Laddha revealed that Maoist groups linked to wanted extremist Madvi Hidma had secretly split into clusters and camped for over a month across Krishna, NTR, Eluru, Kakinada and Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) districts. Following precise intelligence inputs, police launched the offensive on November 17. “Six Maoists were neutralised in ASR district, and the remaining were arrested across Krishna, Eluru, NTR, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema and Kakinada districts,” he said.

Laddha explained that the Maoists entered Andhra Pradesh after being pushed out of their Chhattisgarh strongholds due to Operation Kagar, conducted across Left-Wing Extremism–affected zones in Chhattisgarh, the Andhra–Odisha Border (AOB) region and Maharashtra. “Some hardcore cadres came to AP to conduct reconnaissance on potential targets and revive violence before slipping back into AOB,” he added.

Elite units including OCTOPUS, Greyhounds and district police teams used drones and continuous surveillance to track the infiltrating groups.

More surrenders are expected soon, Laddha noted, reiterating the government’s call for Maoists to abandon violence. Of those arrested, 28 are natives of Bastar, 21 from Sukma, and one from Narayanpur.

The ADGP said that the operation achieved a “100 per cent strike rate with zero casualties,” and asserted that dismantling Hidma’s network would significantly strengthen security along the AP–Chhattisgarh border.

Responding to questions, Laddha clarified that the police currently have no information regarding the whereabouts of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Thippiri Tirupati alias Devuji, one of the most wanted extremists in the region.

Senior officers including SIB chief P H D Ramakrishna, NTR commissioner S V Rajashekar Babu, Eluru range IG G V G Ashok Kumar and district SPs from Kakinada, Krishna and Eluru were present.