Nuapada: Security forces unearthed a concealed Maoist dump and recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition, explosives, and other operational materials during a joint anti-Naxal operation in Patahara Reserve Forest near the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border in Nuapada district on Tuesday.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs developed by the Nuapada District Police, personnel from the District Voluntary Force (DVF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a joint search operation in the forested and hilly terrain of Barpat Donger under Boden police station limits.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of Nuapada Superintendent of Police (SP) Amritpal Singh. During the search, security personnel detected a hidden Maoist dump located deep inside the reserve forest.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the recovered materials were part of an old Maoist cache containing explosives, improvised explosive device (IED)-making components, firearms, ammunition, and other items allegedly used by cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
The seized items included two country-made guns, a country-made carbine with a magazine, 29 rounds of 7.62×39 mm AK-47 ammunition, 54 rounds of 7.62×51 mm SLR ammunition, two tiffin IEDs, eight gelatin sticks, 1.5 kg of gunpowder, one detonator, batteries, a multimeter, a solar panel, electrical wires, codex wire, a wire cutter, testing equipment, Maoist uniforms, haversacks, shoes, Maoist literature, cooking utensils, and a medicine kit.
The recovery was made during an intelligence-based operation aimed at detecting hidden Maoist caches in the region.
SP Amritpal Singh said combing operations have been intensified in the forest area to locate any additional hidden dumps, explosives, or other Maoist-related materials.
Security forces have stepped up surveillance and search operations along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border following the recovery to prevent any further Maoist activities in the region.
