Maoist caught after encounter in Koraput

Koraput: Maoist Kunjam Hidma was arrested by Koraput police during a combing operation on Thursday. He belongs to Bijepur area of Chhattisgarh. "He was caught alive inside the dense Petaguda forest in Koraput district during the encounter," Koraput SP Rohit Verma told reporters.

The SP said police seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition, including an AK-47 rifle, from the apprehended Maoist. Hidma, who was an Area Committee Member (ACM) of the banned outfit, was linked to seven major violent incidents in the region including Odisha, the SP said.

Hidma is believed to have been directly involved in several Maoist incidents including those in Chandmeta (Chhattisgarh) in 2021, Kolengdaba in 2023, Kondajhari (Odisha) in 2020 and Kumbhikhari in 2021