Latest news with #Hidma
India Gazette
3 days ago
- India Gazette
Odisha Police arrest Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma in Koraput
Koraput (Odisha) [India], May 30 (ANI): Odisha's Koraput Police arrested Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma alias Mohan and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 and 35 rounds of bullets. According to an official release, based on credible intelligence regarding the movement of a group of banned CPI (Maoist) cadres in the forest area near the village Petguda under Boipariguda Police Station, a special operation was launched by the District Police using the district voluntary force (DVF) on the night of May 28. In the early hours of May 29, the DVF team noticed a group of Maoists camping on the hill. As the team moved to surround it, the Maoists, on being alerted, opened fire at the DVF team and fled into the jungle. In response, the team exercised controlled fire in self-defence. During the subsequent search, one Maoist cadre, Kunjam Hidma, was apprehended while attempting to hide in the nearby bushes, and others managed to flee, said the officials. According to the officials, Hidma joined the Maoist organisation in 2007 at 14, as he was inducted into Bal Sangham and Jana Natya Mandali (JNM), the cultural wing of the Maoists. From 2007 to 2013, he remained associated with Bal Sangham and JNM. Between 2013 and 2015, he worked as a party member under the Usur Local Organisation Squad (LOS) and received military training, during which he was issued a single-shot rifle. In 2016, he started operating in the AOB (Andhra Odisha Border) platoon, and later in 2019, he was promoted to the rank of ACM (Area Committee Member) and provided with an SLR rifle. He served in a military platoon under Suresh (SZCM), operating in the Bolpariguda area of Koraput district, the cut-off area of Malkangiri district (Odisha), and the Pedabailu region of ASR district (Andhra Pradesh). During 2021-2022, he was assigned to AOB Platoon Section-01, operating in the Pamed area of Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh. In 2023, he was transferred to Platoon-24 in the Kerlapal area under Sukma district, and in 2024, temporarily moved to Platoon-26, operating in the Malengiri area of Sukma. He returned to the AOB unit in May 2025 and has been active since then. Under the leadership of Suresh (SZCM) in the AOB team, he operated as an ACM in the South Bastar and Kerlapal areas of Chhattisgarh, said officials. Officials said Hidma was involved in several encounters with police and had Maoist-related cases against him in Odisha's Koraput and Malkangiri districts as well as in Chhattisgarh. (ANI)
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
Maoist with Rs 4 lakh bounty arrested along with arms, ammunition in Odisha
JEYPORE/KORAPUT: Kuniam Hidma, a hardcore Maoist carrying reward of Rs 4 lakh on his head, was arrested during a combing operation jointly carried out by Koraput police and the District Voluntary Force (DVF) near Petguda village in Boipariguda during the wee hours on Thursday. Addressing mediapersons, Koraput SP Rohit Verma said Hidma alias Mohan (33) of Janaguda village in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district was an area committee member (ACM) of the banned outfit CPI (Maoist). A most-wanted Maoist operative in Odisha, Hidma was nabbed when he was trying to flee during the combing operation. Revealing details about the operation, the SP said acting on a tip-off, a team led by Jeypore SDPO Partha Kashyap launched a search in the forest near Petguda on Wednesday night. During the operation, the team spotted four Maoist cadres. In the early hours of Thursday, the Maoists opened fire at the police team. The cops responded with controlled retaliation, ensuring no casualties on their side. While three of the Maoists managed to escape, Hidma was apprehended. A huge cache of arms and ammunition besides Maoist materials were seized from the encounter site. The seized items included one AK-47 rifle, 35 rounds of ammunition, 117 electric and non-electric detonators, gunpowder, walkie-talkies, gunpowder, knives and Maoist literature. During interrogation, Hidma revealed that he joined the Maoist movement in 2007 at the age of 14. Since then, he has been actively involved in extremist operations across Malkangiri and Koraput districts in Odisha besides Sukma and Bijapur in Chhattisgarh. He is linked to several violent incidents including encounters with security forces at Chandameta, Kondajhari, Kumbhikharri and Kolengabida between 2020 and 2023.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Odisha Police arrest Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma in Koraput
Odisha's Koraput Police arrested Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma alias Mohan and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition , including an AK-47 and 35 rounds of bullets. According to an official release, based on credible intelligence regarding the movement of a group of banned CPI (Maoist) cadres in the forest area near the village Petguda under Boipariguda Police Station, a special operation was launched by the District Police using the district voluntary force (DVF) on the night of May 28. In the early hours of May 29, the DVF team noticed a group of Maoists camping on the hill. As the team moved to surround it, the Maoists, on being alerted, opened fire at the DVF team and fled into the jungle. In response, the team exercised controlled fire in self-defence. During the subsequent search, one Maoist cadre, Kunjam Hidma, was apprehended while attempting to hide in the nearby bushes, and others managed to flee, said the officials. According to the officials, Hidma joined the Maoist organisation in 2007 at 14, as he was inducted into Bal Sangham and Jana Natya Mandali (JNM), the cultural wing of the Maoists. Live Events From 2007 to 2013, he remained associated with Bal Sangham and JNM. Between 2013 and 2015, he worked as a party member under the Usur Local Organisation Squad (LOS) and received military training, during which he was issued a single-shot rifle. In 2016, he started operating in the AOB (Andhra Odisha Border) platoon, and later in 2019, he was promoted to the rank of ACM (Area Committee Member) and provided with an SLR rifle. He served in a military platoon under Suresh (SZCM), operating in the Bolpariguda area of Koraput district, the cut-off area of Malkangiri district (Odisha), and the Pedabailu region of ASR district (Andhra Pradesh). During 2021-2022, he was assigned to AOB Platoon Section-01, operating in the Pamed area of Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh . In 2023, he was transferred to Platoon-24 in the Kerlapal area under Sukma district, and in 2024, temporarily moved to Platoon-26, operating in the Malengiri area of Sukma. He returned to the AOB unit in May 2025 and has been active since then. Under the leadership of Suresh (SZCM) in the AOB team, he operated as an ACM in the South Bastar and Kerlapal areas of Chhattisgarh, said officials. Officials said Hidma was involved in several encounters with police and had Maoist-related cases against him in Odisha's Koraput and Malkangiri districts as well as in Chhattisgarh.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Wanted Maoist held in Koraput forest with AK-47
Koraput: Kunjam Hidma, a hardcore Maoist wanted in multiple cases across Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, was arrested by security forces in the early hours of Thursday following an exchange of fire in a forested area of Koraput district. Police recovered one AK-47, 35 live cartridges and other Maoist items from Hidma, alias Mohan, an area committee member (ACM) of the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) committee of the banned CPI (Maoist). "We had specific information about Maoist movement at Petguda village in Boipariguda. Acting on it, a district voluntary force (DVF) team led by SDPO (Jeypore) Parth Kashyap and assistant commandant Dibya Prasad Parida launched an operation on Wednesday night," Koraput SP Rohit Verma said. "During the operation, a group of four Maoists were spotted in the forest. Our personnel asked them to surrender, but they opened fire, following which our team retaliated," Verma added. There were no injuries or casualties on either side. Initially, the Maoists managed to flee under the cover of darkness. During a search operation, the DVF team caught Hidma, who was hiding in the bushes. Security officials believe the group was trying to move towards Andhra Pradesh through Boipariguda. Preliminary interrogation revealed Hidma had joined the Maoist in 2007, at the age of 14, through Bal Sangam and Jana Natya Mandali, the rebels' cultural wing. A resident of Janaguda village in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, Hidma was inducted into the armed wing of the AOB platoon in 2016 and promoted to ACM in 2019. He reportedly served under Maoist commander Suresh, who operates in the Boipariguda area. Hidma is wanted for his alleged involvement in at least seven cases in Odisha, including four in Koraput and three in Malkangiri. In the wake of the recent killing of Maoist leader Basava Raju in Chhattisgarh, security has been tightened fearing attempts by Maoists to infiltrate into the state. "Additional forces have been deployed, and vulnerable routes, including waterways, have been sealed to prevent Maoist infiltration," DIG (south-western range), Akhileswar Singh, said.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma arrested in special operation in Odisha
Odisha's Koraput Police arrested Communist Party of India (Maoist) leader Kunjam Hidma alias Mohan in a special operation by the district police and Odisha's specialised district voluntary force (DVF) constabulary unit Thursday. Hidma, an area committee member, was arrested from the Petguda jungle under Boipariguda police limit, with the police seizing a huge cache of arms and ammunition — including an AK-47 and 35 rounds of bullets. According to police sources, Hidma was part of a party sent to recce the area and give a safe passage to Maoist leader Suresh, a state zonal committee member, from Odisha to Andhra Pradesh. Hidma is working under Suresh. Significantly, Madvi Hidma, the de facto military chief of the CPI (Maoist) in Chhattisgarh who commands Battalion 1 of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army, has yet to be arrested. According to Koraput SP Rohit Varma, a special operation was launched Wednesday night after security forces received credible intelligence inputs on the movement of a group of banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres in the forest area near village Petguda. 'The DVF team noticed a group of Maoists camping at the hill on Thursday early morning. As the team moved to surround it, the Maoists, on being alerted, opened fire at the DVF team and fled into the jungle. In response, the team exercised controlled fire in self-defence. During the subsequent search, one Maoist cadre was apprehended while attempting to hide in the nearby bushes,' said Verma. A native of Janaguda under Usur police limit in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, Kunjam joined the Maoist movement in 2007 at the age of 14. He was initially inducted into the Bal Sangham and Jana Natya Mandali (JNM), the cultural wing of the Maoists with which he was associated till 2013, police sources said. Between 2013 and 2015, Kunjam worked as a party member under the Usur Local Operational Squad (LOS) – the local unit of the outfit — and received military training, during which he was issued a single-shot rifle. In 2016, he started operating in AOB (Andhra Odisha Border) platoon and was promoted to the rank of area committee member in 2019 and had by now progressed to using a self-loading rifle (SLR). Hidma served in a military platoon under Suresh, operating in the Boipariguda area of Koraput district — the area that marks the border between Odisha's Malkangiri district and the Pedabailu region in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district. He was involved in a number of Maoist attacks in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh since 2021. Police said Hidma was involved in several encounters with police and had Maoist-related cases against him in Odisha's Koraput and Malkangiri districts as well as in Chhattisgarh.
