BHUBANESWAR: The security forces achieved a significant success by dismantling two Maoist dumps in Odisha’s Boudh district. This operation was conducted following a special mission by the Special Operations Group (SOG), District Voluntary Force (DVF), and Bomb Disposal Squad (BDP) in the Bahabalakhol Reserve Forest area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Manamunda police station.
Police seized a large quantity of Maoist-related materials from an abandoned site within the Bahabalakhol Reserve Forest. The district police headquarters communicated this information to the media.
According to a press release issued by the district police headquarters, the joint operation took place based on credible intelligence. The operation targeted a site approximately 2.5 kilometres east of Kanpa village.
The search operation, conducted based on received intelligence, successfully located a dump near Kanpa village. Senior officials reported that the security forces accessed the dumping site, properly sanitised the area, and recovered various Maoist items.
Additionally, another operation was executed 3 kilometres east of Kuakumuda after receiving information about buried Maoist materials. Security forces excavated the dump with the support of the available team, ensuring proper sanitation throughout the process.
The recovered items included 35 different materials, such as seven detonators, one keypad mobile phone, three mobile chargers, one voice recorder, three walkie-talkies with two chargers, 60 diodes, two rolls of soldering wire, one car charger, one magnifying glass, a tiffin box, two pairs of reading glasses, knives, one black uniform, three black bags, four radio antennas, a 5-metre rope, jerry cans, a steel mug, torches, umbrellas, four plastic sheets, two blankets, ten 1.5-volt batteries, various medicines, documents, and a substantial quantity of grocery items.
The police have registered a case regarding the incident at the Manamunda police station and have initiated further investigation.
It is noteworthy that on Friday, security forces achieved significant success along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, resulting in a gunfight that claimed the lives of ten Naxalites, including several with bounties on their heads.
Earlier, on Thursday, there was an exchange of fire between security forces and Maoist when the latter attempted to infiltrate Odisha’s Malkangiri district from Chhattisgarh. In this encounter, one Maoist was killed, and one security personnel sustained injuries.
Malkangiri district was once a stronghold of red terrorism, where the Maoists committed numerous crimes, including the abduction of the District Collector. However, due to sustained operations by security forces over the past five years, Maoist activity in Malkangiri has nearly ceased.
Now, with intensified actions against Maoists in Chhattisgarh, they are attempting to enter Malkangiri to evade security forces. Nevertheless, Odisha Police remains vigilant, working in coordination with central security forces and police from neighbouring states, sharing intelligence to facilitate effective action. Additionally, continuous efforts are being made to dismantle Naxalite hideouts and Maoist dumps in other areas.
