Bhubaneswar: Madvi Hidma, a top Maoist leader linked to some of the deadliest rebel strikes, was killed in an early morning encounter in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

As per reports, six members of the CPI (Maoist), including senior commander Madvi Hidma and his wife Raje, were gunned down during a joint security operation in the forests of Alluri Sitharamaraju district.

Exchange of fire

The exchange of fire broke out around 6 a.m. in the Marud Palli forest of West Godavari, close to the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Security forces had launched a combing operation after receiving specific intelligence about the presence of Maoists in the area.

Also read: Major setback to Left Wing Extremism as 21 Maoists surrender in Chhattisgarh .

Reportedly, the Maoists opened

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