ASR district records major success against Maoists in 2025

Visakhapatnam: Crime cases in the Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district recorded a significant decline in 2025, with total offences dropping from 2,304 in 2024 to 1,498, a reduction of around 34 per cent. The status of extremism (Andhra Odisha Border- Special Zonal Committee) in the ASR district has reached a critical turning point. High-level security operations throughout 2024 and 2025 have systematiclaly dismantled the leadership of the AOBSZC.ASR district police chief Amit Bardar said a total of 18 Maoists, including some top guns of the outfit were neutralized in seven exchanges of fires (EoFs) in the district in 2025. As many as 49 Maoists surrendered before police and nine Maoists were arrested in 2025, he added.Despite the overall drop, theft cases, burglaries in daytime, criminal breach of trust and fatal road accidents in the district slightly increased in 2025 when compared to the previous year. Murder cases declined from 27 in 2024 to 20 in 2025, while rape cases dropped from 25 to 22. Bodily offenses showed improvement, reducing from 183 cases in 2024 to 156 in 2025.Amit Bardar said the district's anti-narcotics (ganja) operations achieved success in 2025, which led to the registration of 135 NDPS cases during the year, down from 232 in 2024 and 261 in 2023. The police have seized 14,484.38 kgs of dry cannabis and 35.61 kgs of hashish oil in 2025, a decrease from 2024's seizure of 23,366.25 kgs of dry cannabis and 91.2 kgs of hashish oil. A total of 358 accused in NDPS cases were arrested in 2025, compared to 1,016 in 2024. Of the 358 total arrests made in 2025, 242 were from within the state and 122 from other states. Police also arrested 178 absconding accused in previous cases: 88 within the district, 31 from other districts, and 59 from other states.