The Krishna district police, Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations (OCTOPUS) and Task Force police conducted raid on a house in Penamaluru village and arrested 28 CPI (Maoist) cadre, including 21 women, on Tuesday (November 18).
The police reportedly also seized a few weapons from the Naxalites hideout.
The Maoists, mostly natives of Chhattisgarh, had taken shelter in a private building a few days ago, pretending to be daily wage labourers.
On a tip-off, the Krishna district and the NTR District police cordoned the house, located at New Auto Nagar, and arrested the Maoists, including nine women dalam members.
However, it was not clear on why the Naxalites sneaked into the residential area in Krishna district. “It is not clear why they have come here. Are they on the run from the ongioing Operation Kagar in Chhattisgarh or whether they were planning any operation in Vijayawada or in the neighbouring areas,” said a senior police officer.
Police took the watchman of the building into custody and are questioning him. Owner of the house was abroad, the locals said.
OCTOPUS police are investing whether the Maoists were maintaining any more weapons or explosive dumps in the locality. Police conducted search with bomb squad and sniffer dog teams.
The Krishna district police are conducting ‘Cordon and Search Operation’ in New Auto Nagar and were searching the nearby houses and the locality. “Suspect Maoists came to New Auto Nagar a few days ago, and said that they were working in the construction sites in the vicinity. They took shelter in the three-storeyed building by convincing the watchman,” the locals said.
Sources in the police said that the search operation was reportedly based on some inputs from the documents recovered at the Exchange of Fire site in Alluri Sitharama Raju district, where CC member Madvi Hidma, his wife Raje and four other Maoists were killed in crossfire between the Maoists and the security forces on Tuesday morning.
More details are awaited.
Published – November 18, 2025 03:08 pm IST
