Top Maoist Commander Kunjam Hidma Arrested In Odisha
Accused in seven major ambushes, Hidma was caught after a gunfight; cache of arms and explosives seized
In a major breakthrough against Left-Wing Extremism, Odisha Police on Thursday arrested top Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma, also known as Mohan, during an anti-Maoist operation in Koraput district. Hidma, a key member of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) and wanted in multiple ambush cases, carried a bounty of Rs 4 lakh on his head.
He was apprehended near Petguda village under Boipariguda police limits during a combing operation led by the District Voluntary Force (DVF), acting on specific intelligence inputs. The operation was conducted under the leadership of Jeypore SDPO Parth Kashyap and senior officer Dibya Prasad Parida.
When security personnel closed in on the suspected Maoist hideout on the night of May 28, armed cadres opened fire and fled into the forest. During the subsequent search, Hidma was found hiding in nearby bushes and was taken into custody. Other members of the group managed to escape.
Originally from Janaguda village in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, Hidma is an Area Committee Member (ACM) of the CPI (Maoist). He is accused of orchestrating several attacks in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. Police said Hidma joined the Maoist movement in 2007 at the age of 14 and quickly rose through the ranks after receiving combat training.
Koraput SP Rohit Varma said, “Based on credible intelligence about Maoist movement near Petguda village, DVF launched a special operation on Wednesday night. Around dawn on Thursday, our team spotted Maoists camping on a hill. As we tried to cordon the area, the Maoists opened fire and fled. In the search that followed, Hidma was arrested.”
Security forces also recovered an AK-47 rifle, 35 rounds of live ammunition, 27 electric and 90 non-electric detonators, two kg of gunpowder, radios, and Maoist propaganda material from the site.
According to police, Hidma is linked to at least seven major Maoist-related cases in Odisha — four in Koraput and three in Malkangiri. Investigations are underway to trace his network and associates across state borders.