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.