The Special Party team of the Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district police gunned down the elusive Maoist Madvi Hidma, alias Santosh, his wife Madakam Raje, alias Rajakka, and four others in an exchange of fire near Nellooru village in Maredumilli Mandal, Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh, in the early hours of Tuesday (November 18, 2025).
The encounter reportedly took place between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., and combing operations are still ongoing, said Andhra Pradesh DGP Harish Kumar Gupta.
The killing of Hidma is considered a major blow to the already dwindling Maoist movement, as Hidma had not only eluded security forces for a long time but was also regarded as a military strategist and a fierce fighter. He headed the Central Military Commission (CMC), the main fighting force of the banned CPI (Maoist), and was known for his ability to lead and motivate his fighters with his tactical and combat skills.
Born in 1981 in Sukma, Chhattisgarh (then part of undivided Madhya Pradesh), Hidma was the youngest member of the Central Committee (CC) and the only tribal from the Bastar region to be inducted into the CC, the party’s main think tank and decision-making body, in recent years.
