HYDERABAD, India, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Security forces shot dead a senior Maoist rebel leader in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday in what police said was a big blow to the leftist insurgents. W. Chandramouli, directing rebel activities on Andhra Pradesh's border with Orissa state, was killed during a shootout with police in the forests of Visakhapatnam district, 590 km (370 miles) east of Hyderabad, the state capital. "The dense fog and poor visibility in the forests brought the Maoists face-to-face with security personnel in the early hours of Thursday, leading to a shootout," said Swaranjit Sen, the state's police chief. Chandramouli's wife was also killed, he said. Police had long sought Chandramouli, who had a price of 1.2 million rupees ($27,000) on his head. He stood accused of kidnapping four senior government officials in the early 1980s. Andhra Pradesh is one of the worst hit of at least 13 Indian states facing Maoist violence. But Sen said the Maoists were being wiped out in large parts of the state and many had fled to neighbouring Chhattisgarh. "Chandramouli's elimination will be a fatal blow to Maoist strength in Andhra Pradesh," he said. The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of millions of India's poor labourers and landless peasants in an insurgency that has killed thousands.
