7 more Maoists killed in Andhra encounter

Seven Maoists of the banned CPI (Maoist) Party were shot dead in an exchange of fire with police in Maredumilli forests of Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district on Wednesday, marking the second encounter in the last 24 hours in the same region.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

Dreaded CPI (M) commander and central committee member Madvi Hidma alias Santosh and five other members were killed in a fierce encounter in the Maredumilli forests on Tuesday.

District superintendent of police (SP) Amit Bardar said the exchange of fire took place between 5 am and 5.45 am near ahill located approximately 7.5 km from the Maredumilli police station.

He said, “The operation, code-named as ‘Operation Sambhav’ began early Wednesday when combing teams of the elite anti-Maoist forces and CRPF traced a group of armed Maoists moving deep inside the forest pockets.”