Security forces have delivered another major setback to the CPI (Maoist), eliminating one of its most elusive and technically skilled operatives, Meturi Jokha Rao, better known as Tech Shankar, in the deep forests of Maredumilli in Andhra Pradesh this week.
His death comes less than 24 hours after the killing of top commander Mandvi Hidma, marking one of the most decisive phases in India’s decades-long anti-Maoist campaign.
Who was Tech Shankar?
Shankar, a native of Srikakulam district, spent nearly 20 years in the Maoist movement and was regarded as one of the organisation’s most valuable assets.
As head of the technical wing of the Andhra–Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), he was central to the rebel outfit’s logistics, weapons production, and improvised explosive device (IED) capabilities.
Security officials say his expertise in fabricating sophisticated IEDs and assembling firearms made him indispensable to Maoist operations along the Andhra-Odisha belt.
When was his elimination confirmed?
His death was confirmed on Wednesday (November 19, 2025) during the second phase of a two-day sweeping operation led by the elite Greyhounds.
Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha told reporters in Vijayawada that seven Maoists were killed that morning, roughly seven kilometres from Tuesday’s (November 18, 2025) encounter site where Hidma and five others were neutralised.
“Preliminary identification confirms the presence of Meturi Jokha Rao alias Tech Shankar among the dead,” Laddha said, noting that sustained security pressure had forced him to remain constantly on the move.
Why was NIA looking for Shankar’s capture?
Shankar was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his suspected involvement in several high-profile attacks, most notably the 2014 ambush in which TDP MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao, former MLA S. Soma, and BSF personnel were killed.
The NIA had earlier announced a reward for information leading to his capture.
What does Shankar’s elimination mean for Maoists activities?
The latest twin operations in Maredumilli mandal, part of the dense Alluri Sitarama Raju district, underscore the shrinking space for Maoist units that once relied on forested terrain for concealment and mobility.
With Hidma, the PLGA’s most feared field commander, and Tech Shankar now gone, security agencies believe the Maoist command-and-control structure in the region has suffered a crippling blow.