Hidma's wife Raje alias Rajakka, four others, too, were killed. Combing operations are still on the forested area of Maredumilli mandal.
Published Nov 18, 2025 | 12:18 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 18, 2025 | 12:18 PM
Madvi Hidma was one of the most wanted Maoist leaders in India and the chief of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion No. 1, considered the most lethal strike unit of the CPI (Maoist). He carried a bounty of ₹50 lakh.
Synopsis: Hidma was one of the most wanted Maoist leaders in India and the chief of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion No. 1, considered the most lethal strike unit of the CPI (Maoist). He carried a bounty of ₹50 lakh.
Six Maoists were killed in a gun battle with the anti-Naxal Greyhounds and local police in Andhra Pradesh early on Tuesday, 18 November.
Madvi Hidma, alias Santosh, 43, arguably the last of the surviving Maoist leaders, and his second wife, Raje alias Rajakka, were suspected to be among those killed in the encounter in the Maredumilli forest region of the Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Police have yet to confirm the identities of those killed, citing the ongoing combing operations and the security situation in the dense forest zone.
The number of injured Maoists has not been ascertained. No police personnel were harmed in the encounter.
Police sources said the bodies were found after the encounter that took place between 6:30 am and 7 am in the forested area of the Maredumilli mandal.
Hidma was one of the most wanted Maoist leaders in India and the chief of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion No. 1, considered the most lethal strike unit of the banned CPI (Maoist). He carried a bounty of ₹50 lakh.
A Central Committee member and leader of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, Hidma has been believed to have masterminded some of the deadliest attacks in the past 15 years, including the 2010 Dantewada massacre in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed, the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack that left 27 people dead, including senior Congress leaders, and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush that claimed 22 security personnel.
He was the only Bastar tribal member in the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee.
Security forces have intensified the operation across the tri-state border of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, suspecting that more senior Maoist leaders may be trapped in the area.
Police said Hidma was the key accused in 26 attacks, including:
This is the second major encounter in the ASR district in six months. On 7 May, two Maoists were killed in a gunfight in the Y Ramavaram forest region.
Tuesday’s encounter took place after a lull in Maoist activity in Andhra Pradesh. On 18 June, Gajarla Ravi, a Central Committee member, and Aruna, the wife of senior Maoist leader Chalapati alias Appa Rao, were gunned down by the security forces.
The exchange of fire came close on the heels of the surrender of the organisation’s former spokesperson and central committee member Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Abhay, and 60 others, in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli in October.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed to end Maoist activities in the country by March 2026.
