Additional DGP Says AP to be Maoist Free by Centre’s March 2026 Deadline

Vijayawada: AP’s Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha asserted on Wednesday that Andhra Pradesh is on course to be declared Maoist-free by March 2026, the deadline set by the central government.

Addressing media in Vijayawada in presence of the arrested Maoists, Laddha said the ultras had chosen Andhra Pradesh as a shelter zone following police raids on them in the forests of Chhattisgarh.

Detailing the coordinated single operation, Laddha said, “The Madvi Hidma battalion had split into groups and camped in several districts of AP for over a month. Acting on credible intelligence, police launched a state-wide coordinated operation on November 17. This led to the killing of six Maoists in Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, while over 50 of them have been arrested in Krishna, Eluru, NTR, Konaseema and Kakinada districts.”

The additional DGP underlined that this is the first time that 50 Maoists have been arrested in a single coordinated action in Andhra Pradesh. He said the crackdown followed a major offensive, Operation Kagar, across all left wing extremism-affected states, including Chhattisgarh, the Andhra-Odisha Border and parts of Maharashtra. The intensified action, he said, forced Maoists out of their hideouts in Chhattisgarh into Andhra Pradesh.

Laddha explained, “Some hard-core Maoists, including Special Zonal Committee and Divisional Committee members, had entered Andhra Pradesh to conduct reconnaissance and identify potential targets. They planned to revive the Maoist movement in AP through sporadic violence before retreating to the AOB (Andhra-Odisha border) region.

Teams of Andhra Pradesh Police, including OCTOPUS and Greyhounds, jointly executed the operation, using drones and continuous surveillance, to track the rebels.

The additional DGP disclosed that several more surrenders are expected in the coming days, as the Maoist ideology has lost relevance with the changing times. He appealed to the remaining cadres to shun violence and join the mainstream.

Laddha explained that during the operation, police seized 45 weapons, 280 cartridges, 270 rounds of ammunition, communication sets, Maoist literature and ₹12 lakh in cash. Of the 50 arrested, 28 are from Bastar, 21 from Sukma and one from Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh.

The additional DGP assured that all those who have surrendered will be rehabilitated under AP’s surrender policy.

Those present at the media conference included IGPs S.V. Rajashekar Babu, P.H.D. Ramakrishna and G.V.G. Ashok Kumar, and SPs Bindu Madhav, V. Vidya Sagar Naidu and K. Pratap Shiva Kishore.

- Weapons: AK-47 rifles – 2, pistol – 1, revolver – 1, single-bore weapon – 1

- Ammunition: AK-47 rounds – 28, pistol rounds – 5, empty AK-47 and pistol shells

- Explosive Materials & Other Items: Electrical detonators – 15 × 25, non-electrical detonators – 150, fuse wire – 25 metres, electrical wire bundle – 1, kit bags – 7

- Significant Seizures: Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives & Maoist Documents

• Firearms – 39 (1 pistol, 2 revolvers, 2 DBBLs, 31 country-made weapons, 2 tapanchas, 1 8 mm wooden gun with iron barrel)

• Ammunition – 302 rounds; 20 pellets

• Magazines – 2

• Knives – 4

• Cordex wire –750 grams

• Cash – ₹12,72,000 (₹6,32,550 from Krishna district, ₹3,59,500 within Vijayawada Commissionerate area, ₹2,80,000 from Eluru district)

• Memory cards – 64

• Radio sets – 1