In a major breakthrough in the anti-Naxal operations, Madvi Hidma, a most-wanted Maoist commander, was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Alluri Sitaramaraju district of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.
Five other ultras, including Hidma’s wife Raje alias Rajakka, were also killed in the encounter, reports claimed.
Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar said the encounter was carried out between 6.30 am and 7 am in the forested area of Maredumilli mandal, where various wings of the police department were conducting a joint operation.
The operation is still underway, and more details are awaited.
Who is Madvi Hidma?
According to reports, Hidma, also known as Hidmalu, is responsible for at least 26 armed attacks against security forces and civilians in the country.
Born in 1984 in Purvati village of south Sukma in Chhattisgarh (then Madhya Pradesh), Hidma was on the National Investigation Agency's list of most wanted criminals and had carried a reward of Rs 50 lakh on his head.
He is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2010 Dantewada massacre, the deadliest attack by the Maoists on Indian security forces.
As many as 76 CRPF personnel were killed when a gang of over 300 ultras attacked a convoy of the paramilitary force in the Talmetla area.
Hidma also led the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack that claimed the lives of 27 people, including senior Congress leaders, and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush, where 22 security personnel were killed.
