Security forces find Maoists’ arms, ammunition in forest bordering Chhattisgarh

Koraput: Koraput police on Friday unearthed a huge cache of arms, ammunition and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden in a forest along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, foiling what officials believe was a planned attempt by Maoists to target security forces and civilians.

“The operation was launched following the interrogation of surrendered Maoists. The recovery of such a large quantity of arms and explosives has averted the possibility of these materials being used against civilians and security forces,” said SP (Koraput) Rohit Verma.The cache was recovered during an intensive search operation carried out around 6 am by the district voluntary force (DVF) in Tentuligumma forest under Boipariguda police station, bordering Darwha police station in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district.Police seized one country-made revolver, six country-made guns, 11 tiffin bomb IEDs of varying capacities ranging from 300 grams to 8 kg, 25 detonators, 20 metres of codex wire, six rounds of .38-calibre ammunition, two camera flashlights and gunpowder. According to police, the recovered weapons and explosives are suspected to belong to cadres of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the CPI (Maoist).

Verma said the latest seizure was the second major Maoist dump recovered in the district within a fortnight, indicating sustained efforts by security forces to dismantle the remnants of the outlawed outfit’s network.“Regular combing and search operations by the District Voluntary Force, Special Operations Group and Border Security Force will continue to detect and recover concealed Maoist arms, explosives and other materials.

These efforts are aimed at preventing any resurgence of Maoist activities in the region,” the SP said.Koraput was declared Maoist-free on March 31 this year, in line with the Union govt’s target for eliminating Left Wing Extremism from the district. Between Jan 2025 and March 2026, one Maoist cadre was arrested, while another surrendered before the district police.The latest recovery comes less than two weeks after security forces unearthed another major cache of arms, ammunition and IEDs from the Badlipahad forest under Boipariguda police station, suggesting that Maoists created multiple underground dumps in the border region before retreating from the area.