Police on Tuesday arrested 31 Maoists, including senior leaders from Chhattisgarh, after intelligence inputs indicated that members of the group were taking shelter in and around Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
According to officials, 27 individuals were detained from a four-storey building in the New Autonagar area of Kanuru in Vijayawada. 
Many among them were women who had allegedly disguised themselves as labourers to avoid detection.
Security personnel launched extensive search operations across multiple locations following alerts about Maoist presence in the city. 
Additional Director General (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha said a total of 31 Maoists were arrested across Krishna district, Vijayawada, and Kakinada.
Authorities said the region&rsquo;s large migrant workforce, particularly from states like Chhattisgarh, enabled the Maoists to blend in easily. 
Factories and timber depots in the Autonagar area were among the primary locations where they are believed to have taken shelter.
It remains unclear whether any arms or explosives were recovered during the operations.
The arrests are believed to be linked to a major encounter earlier in the day in Alluri Sitharamaraju district on the Andhra&ndash;Odisha border, where security forces killed six Maoists, including top commander and CPI (Maoist) Central Committee member Hidma and his wife Raji.
Facing intensified security operations in Chhattisgarh, several Maoists from that state are suspected to have crossed into Andhra Pradesh in recent weeks. 
ADG Laddha stated that intelligence teams had been monitoring Maoist movement for the past month, adding that some cadres and sympathisers were believed to have moved into interior regions.
Police are questioning the owner of the Autonagar building and are working to identify individuals who may have helped shelter the Maoists. 
Investigators are also probing whether the group had plans to carry out attacks.
Officers noted that such a large number of Maoists have not been arrested from any Andhra Pradesh city even during periods of peak Maoist activity.
&mdash;IANS

31 Maoists Arrested, Including Top Leaders

Police nab 31 Maoists posing as migrant labourers after coordinated raids in Andhra

31 Maoists Held While Hiding As Labourers

Police nab 31 Maoists posing as migrant labourers after coordinated raids in Andhra

November 18, 2025 | 15:54 IST