Odisha Police uncover Maoist arms, explosives dump in Koraput
Koraput: Odisha police on Friday unearthed a cache of Maoist weapons and explosives during a search operation in the dense forests of Koraput district, dealing another blow to Naxalite activities in the region, officials said.
The dump was discovered in Tentuliguma, under the jurisdiction of the Boipariguda police station in the district. Officials said the District Voluntary Force (DVF) launched the operation around 6 a.m. based on intelligence gathered during interrogation of surrendered Maoists.
The dump was located in a forested area on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, adjacent to the jurisdiction of the Darbha police station in Bastar district.
Police recovered a country-made revolver, six country-made guns, 11 tiffin bomb improvised explosive devices (IEDs) of varying calibers, 25 detonators, 20 meters of cordex wire, six rounds of .38 caliber ammunition, two camera flashlights, and gunpowder.
Koraput Superintendent of Police (SP) Rohit Verma said the recovered weapons and explosives are suspected to belong to cadres of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the CPI (Maoist).
The operation was launched based on credible information obtained during interrogation of surrendered Maoists. Verma said the recovery of such a large quantity of weapons and explosives has prevented these materials from being used against civilians and security forces.
He said the recovery reflects the continued efforts of the district police and security forces to eliminate the remnants of Maoist infrastructure in the area.
This is the second major Maoist dump recovered in the district within the last fortnight. The SP said regular search and combing operations by the DVF, Special Operations Group (SOG), and Border Security Force (BSF) will continue to locate and destroy such weapons stockpiles and prevent any attempts to revive extremist activities.
