Greyhounds Neutralize Top Maoist Couple in Fierce Visakhapatnam Encounter; 2.5 kg Explosives Unearthed in Tirupati Hideout Raid

Visakhapatnam, November 19, 2025 – In a significant escalation of anti-Naxal operations, elite Greyhounds commandos gunned down a notorious Maoist couple—identified as Area Committee Members (ACMs) Aruna and Uday—along with four other insurgents in a dawn encounter deep within the Maredmilli forests of Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district. Hours later, a parallel raid in Tirupati uncovered a Maoist hideout stocked with 2.5 kg of high-grade explosives, signaling a coordinated crackdown aimed at dismantling urban supply lines for the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit.

The encounter erupted around 4:30 a.m. when a joint team of Greyhounds, Andhra Pradesh Special Police Battalion (APSP), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel intercepted a squad of 10-12 Maoists attempting to cross into Chhattisgarh for regrouping. Intelligence inputs had tipped off authorities about the group's movements, with Aruna and Uday—husband-and-wife duo carrying a combined bounty of ₹45 lakh—leading the infiltration after evading capture for over two years.

Eyewitness accounts from the security cordon described a 45-minute firefight, with Maoists unleashing a barrage from INSAS rifles and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) before being overpowered. "The couple fought ferociously, but superior tactics and real-time intel turned the tide," said ASP (Operations) K. Srinivasa Rao, who led the operation. Recovered from the site were two AK-47s, three carbines, 500 rounds of ammunition, and propaganda leaflets calling for "urban guerrilla warfare" in Andhra's coastal cities.

Aruna, 38, a key propagandist in the Andhra-Orissa Border (AOB) division, and Uday, 42, a logistics expert, were accused of orchestrating at least 15 attacks, including the 2023 ambush on a Greyhounds convoy near Kothagudem that claimed five lives. Their elimination marks the 12th major Maoist cadre neutralized in Andhra Pradesh this year, bringing the total to over 40 arrests and surrenders in the past week alone. "This strikes at the heart of their leadership; Andhra will be Maoist-free by March 2026, as per the Centre's timeline," declared ADGP (Intelligence) Mahesh Laddha, hinting at urban safe houses being probed next.

Local Adivasi villagers in Maredmilli, long terrorized by extortion rackets, hailed the operation with cautious relief. "They demanded 'taxes' for every harvest; now, perhaps our children can study without fear," said elder Pulla Rao, whose hamlet had sheltered the insurgents under duress.

In a swift follow-up, Tirupati police, tipped by intel from the encounter site, raided a nondescript godown in the city's outskirts, unearthing 2.5 kg of gelatin sticks, detonators, and timer circuits buried in false-floor compartments. The hideout, rented under a proxy name, was allegedly a transit point for smuggling arms from Chhattisgarh to coastal hideouts, with digital trails pointing to Uday's network.

Chittoor SP G. Ajay Kumar described the haul as "a ticking bomb averted," noting the explosives could have fueled urban blasts targeting infrastructure like the Tirumala Expressway. Two low-level operatives were nabbed at the scene, with sketches of three more suspects circulating statewide. Forensic teams are analyzing residues for links to recent low-intensity blasts in Vijayawada, underscoring Maoists' pivot to "city-based sabotage" amid rural setbacks.

These back-to-back blows come amid Operation Kagar, the Centre's multi-state blitz that has shrunk Maoist-affected areas by 30% since 2024. Andhra Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu commended the forces, announcing ₹5 lakh ex-gratia to the Greyhounds' families and vowing rehabilitation for surrendering cadres. Human rights groups, however, urged independent probes into encounter claims, citing past allegations of staging.

As combing operations fan out across the Eastern Ghats, with drones scanning border trails, the Maoist shadow over Andhra's tribal heartlands appears dimmer—but experts warn of splinter cells adapting to asymmetric warfare. "One couple down, but the ideology lingers; vigilance is key," cautioned a CRPF officer, as the state edges closer to its Maoist-free dawn.