Bhubaneswar, 17 June (H.S.): In a significant breakthrough during an anti-Naxal operation, Kandhamal Police recovered a cache of arms, ammunition, explosives and logistical supplies belonging to Maoist cadres from concealed dump sites in forested areas of the district.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding the presence of hidden Maoist materials, a coordinated search operation was launched on June 16 across the Sitagurha, Ganjugurha, Kutibarhi, Gudrikya and Lanjam areas under the jurisdictions of Kotagarh, Baliguda and Tumudibandha police stations.

The operation was carried out by two teams of the Special Operations Group (SOG) and one team of the District Voluntary Force (DVF). During the intensive combing exercise, security personnel detected concealed Maoist dump sites in the Kotagarh area.

Following the discovery, the Bomb Disposal Squad conducted a thorough search of the site after implementing all necessary safety protocols to eliminate the possibility of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The operation resulted in the recovery of a substantial quantity of arms, ammunition, explosive materials and field equipment.

The seized items included one .303 rifle, two 12-bore guns, two single-shot firearms, one 8 mm gun with a wooden butt, one .303 magazine, 18 rounds of .303 ammunition, 10 rounds of 12-bore cartridges, 35 rounds of 8 mm ammunition, 10 metres of codex wire, five electric detonators, along with various articles used for day-to-day operations in the field.

Police officials confirmed that the recovered weapons and explosive materials belonged to Maoist operatives. While Kandhamal achieved its target of becoming Naxal-free by March 31, 2026, under the national anti-Naxal strategy, security forces continue to uncover old Maoist dumps concealed in remote and inaccessible forest regions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda