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Top Maoist Devji believed to be among 7 more insurgents killed in Andhra Pradesh
Security forces dealt a major blow to the Left Wing insurgency, with the killing of a top insurgent commander and five other insurgents in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday
Seven more Maoists were killed on Wednesday in Andhra Pradesh’s Maredumilli forests, a day after security forces dealt a major blow to the Left Wing insurgency, with the killing of a top insurgent commander and five other insurgents there on Tuesday.
Maoist central committee member Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, who took over as the general secretary after Namballa Kesava Rao alias Basavaraju’s killing in May this year, is believed to be among the seven slain Maoists.
Andhra Pradesh’s additional director general (intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha said the seven were killed in an exchange of fire with the forces involved in a combing operation in Maredumilli after Tuesday’s gun battle.
“We are yet to receive the full details of the exchange of fire from the ground. We are still compiling the information,” he said amid reports of Devji’s killing. He added that security forces were maintaining surveillance.
On Tuesday, Madvi Hidma, 50, a Maoist central committee member and commander of its first battalion, his wife, Madakam Raje, 44, and four other Maoists were killed in Maredumilli.
Security forces have killed at least 270 Maoists over the past year in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. At least 1,225 have surrendered, and 680, including top leaders, have been arrested.
The Union government has set a March 31, 2026, deadline for ending the Maoist insurgency and said that the number of Left-Wing insurgency-hit districts has fallen to 11, from 18 in April.
Hidma, a native of Purvati village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, was one of the most feared Maoist commanders. He rose through the Maoist hierarchy to become a central committee member. Hidma was involved in the deadliest ambushes in Chhattisgarh over two decades.
Hidma was known for his layered security ring, knowledge of the Sukma–Bijapur forests, and his ability to mobilise armed squads across interstate borders. He remained one of India’s most wanted insurgent leaders.
The Andhra Pradesh Police had intensified surveillance along inter-state borders amid intelligence that Maoists planned to shift their base amid sustained anti-insurgency pressure in Chhattisgarh. They received a specific input last week that top Maoist leaders had entered Maredumilli on the Andhra-Telangana-Chhattisgarh borders to revive organisational activities.
Security forces launched a targeted operation on Tuesday morning based on this intelligence and killed six Maoists. They recovered two AK-47 rifles, a pistol, a revolver, a single-barreled weapon, ammunition, and kit bags at the scene.
As many as 31 people linked to Maoist networks were separately arrested in Andhra Pradesh. The arrestees included nine security guards of Devji. The remaining belonged to battalions of the South Bastar Zonal Committee, trying to take shelter in Andhra Pradesh to regroup and revive Maoist activities.
Some Maoists fled the gunfight scene on Tuesday as security personnel continued combing operations across the deep forest.
Laddha said all the slain Maoists were from Chhattisgarh. “Teams have been deployed to track down and apprehend those who fled the scene and, in the process, Wednesday’s encounter took place.”
Laddha said Maoists have been attempting to infiltrate Andhra Pradesh from Chhattisgarh and Telangana. “We have strengthened intelligence networks and are closely tracking their movements,” he said. He urged the remaining Maoists to surrender.
