Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough in Odisha’s anti-Maoist campaign, security forces have recovered huge quantities of arms, ammunition, explosives, and Maoist-related materials from separate forested locations in Kandhamal and Malkangiri districts within a span of three days. The twin operations have dealt another significant blow to Red Terrorism in the state and underscored the continued efforts of security agencies to eliminate remnants of Maoist infrastructure even after the districts were officially declared Maoist-free.
The latest recovery was made by the Odisha Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) in Kandhamal district, while an earlier operation in Malkangiri district led to the seizure of one of the largest Maoist arms caches recovered in recent months.
Kandhamal Operation Leads to Recovery of Arms and Explosives
The most recent operation was conducted in the dense forests near Tengeri village under Baliguda police station limits in Kandhamal district. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, security forces launched a coordinated search operation involving nine SOG teams and a District Voluntary Force (DVF) team.
During the combing operation, security personnel discovered a concealed Maoist dump hidden deep inside the forest and recovered a substantial quantity of arms, ammunition, explosives, and logistical supplies.
🚨 𝗠𝗔𝗢𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗦 𝗗𝗨𝗠𝗣 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬🚨
Acting on credible intelligence, Kandhamal Police carried out a strategic operation in the Balliguda region and recovered articles from a hidden Maoist dump, which gave another blow to extremist activities.
🔍 Recovered… pic.twitter.com/5Td50JM2dO— SP KANDHAMALA (@spkandhamala) June 11, 2026
Among the seized items were one Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), two SBGL guns, one country-made firearm, one SBGL grenade, an SLR magazine, 30 detonators, bundles of electric wire, and various explosive materials. Security forces also recovered food items, clothes, slippers, ration supplies, and personal belongings believed to have been used by Maoist cadres.
Officials said the hidden cache was part of a larger network of dumps allegedly maintained by Maoist operatives before security forces intensified operations in the region.
Search Based on Intelligence from Surrendered Maoists
According to police sources, the operation was launched based on intelligence gathered during the interrogation of surrendered Maoist cadres. The information helped investigators identify several suspected locations where weapons and supplies had been hidden in remote forest areas.
As part of the operation, security teams carried out searches in the forest belts of Gangapadar, Kodamaha, Pajimaha, Tengeri, and Balimaha under Baliguda police station limits.
Police believe that additional caches may still be hidden in inaccessible forest pockets, prompting continued search operations across the district.
Kandhamal SP Calls Recovery a Major Achievement
Addressing a press conference, Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Ramendra Prasad described the recovery as a significant success in the district’s anti-Maoist operations.
“Under the leadership of our DGP and ADG (Anti-Naxal Operations), we conducted a major operation involving nine SOG teams and one DVF team. During the operation in the Baliguda area, we located a Maoist dump containing weapons, ammunition, detonators, and explosive materials. This is a major recovery,” the SP said.
Prasad emphasised that security forces remain committed to tracing every hidden Maoist dump in the district.
“Kandhamal was declared Maoist-free on March 31 in line with the target set by the Union Home Ministry. However, weapons and supplies hidden in forest dumps continue to be recovered. We will continue operations until every concealed cache is located and secured. Our objective is to ensure there is no resurgence of Maoist activity in the district,” he added.
Earlier Malkangiri Operation Uncovered Massive Arms Cache
Just days after security forces unearthed a massive cache of arms and explosives in Malkangiri district during a joint anti-Maoist operation on the night of June 8, the Kandhamal recovery occurred.
The operation took place in the dense forest areas of Kerimitia and Katuapadar under Mathili police station limits near the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, a region that has historically served as a Maoist stronghold.
The search operation was launched following intelligence inputs obtained during the questioning of surrendered Maoist cadres.
Personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF) and District Voluntary Force (DVF) jointly conducted extensive searches across multiple forest locations before uncovering several concealed dump sites.
Large Quantity of Weapons, IEDs and Explosives Seized
Officials said the operation resulted in the seizure of 32 categories of Maoist-related materials, including firearms, rifles, improvised weapons, tiffin bombs, grenades, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), AK-47 magazines, light machine gun (LMG) ammunition, detonators, and other explosive materials.
#WATCH | Malkangiri, Odisha: Major maoist arms dump unearthed along Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. Superintendent of Police, Malkangiri District, Vinod Patil H, says, “We launched a joint operation based on intelligence gathered during the interrogation of surrendered Naxals. Today,… pic.twitter.com/Po6erCqbfC
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2026
Security personnel also recovered Maoist propaganda literature, communication materials, and daily-use articles from the dump sites.
Investigators believe the seized weapons and explosives were intended for future attacks on security personnel and civilians operating in the tri-junction region of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh.
The cache was reportedly discovered around 5:30 a.m. during the operation.
Dump Believed to Belong to AOBSZC Cadres
Police officials suspect the recovered materials belonged to cadres of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the CPI (Maoist), once one of the most active Maoist formations operating in the region.
The forest belt where the dump was recovered is believed to have served as a strategic hideout for Maoist cadres for several years. Preliminary investigations indicate that the area was used for storing weapons, explosives, and logistical supplies while facilitating the movement of Maoist operatives across state borders.
The discovery highlights the extent of Maoist preparations to maintain operational capabilities despite sustained pressure from security forces.
Major Victory Against Red Terrorism
Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Vinod Patil termed the operation a major success in the ongoing fight against Maoism .
“This is a major victory for security forces. The seizure of such a large quantity of tactical weapons and explosives has prevented possible subversive activities and strengthened the security environment in an area that has already been declared Maoist-free,” Patil said.
He noted that the recovery had effectively neutralized potential threats to both civilians and security personnel operating in the region.
Maoist Network Weakening Across Odisha
The latest recoveries come amid sustained successes by security forces against Maoist groups operating in Odisha. Officials pointed out that the elimination of senior Maoist leader Ganesh VK, a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist), in December 2025 significantly weakened insurgent networks in the state.
Following the encounter, 24 Maoists, including State Committee leaders Shukru and Neetu, surrendered before the police along with their weapons. Intelligence gathered from these surrendered cadres has helped security agencies locate several hidden Maoist infrastructure sites.
Authorities say the increasing number of surrenders, coupled with intelligence-led operations, has severely disrupted Maoist logistics and operational capabilities across southern Odisha.
Security Operations to Continue
Despite Kandhamal and Malkangiri being declared Maoist-free, security agencies have made it clear that anti-Maoist operations will continue across remote forest regions.
Officials believe several hidden arms dumps may still exist in inaccessible areas and have intensified search and combing operations to identify and recover any remaining caches.
The twin recoveries in Kandhamal and Malkangiri underscore the success of coordinated intelligence-driven operations and reflect the determination of Odisha’s security forces to completely eradicate residual Maoist infrastructure. Authorities maintain that continued vigilance and proactive operations are essential to ensuring lasting peace and preventing any revival of insurgent activity in the state.
