Malkangiri police recover large cache of Maoist arms and explosives
Bhubaneswar: In a major success in the ongoing anti-Maoist operations, security forces have unearthed a large cache of arms, explosives, communication equipment and other incriminating materials allegedly concealed by Maoist cadres in the dense forests of Odisha’s Malkangiri district. The recovery, made on June 28, marks the third major Maoist arms dump seized in Malkangiri this month and the seventh such recovery across Odisha within the past three weeks, reflecting the intensified counter-insurgency operations underway in the state.
The seizure was made during an intelligence-based search operation carried out by the District Voluntary Force (DVF) in the forested areas of Guntabeda and Kadamguda under the Kalimela police station limits. The operation was launched following specific intelligence inputs and crucial disclosures made during the sustained interrogation of surrendered Maoist cadres.
The operation was conducted in the strategically significant forest belt along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, adjoining the Motugudem and Donkarai police station limits in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharama Raju district. The area has historically served as a safe hideout and movement corridor for Maoist cadres due to its dense forests and difficult terrain.
According to police officials, the recovered cache included two Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), two country-made pistols, one rifle barrel, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), a Claymore mine, Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL) shells, live cartridges, ammunition pouches, seven walkie-talkies with accessories, 45 pen drives, a hard disk, batteries, power banks, a medicine kit and several materials suspected to have been used for storing or manufacturing explosives.
Officials stated that nearly 37 different categories of explosive-related materials were recovered from concealed underground locations inside the forest. Investigators suspect that the weapons and explosives belonged to cadres of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the banned CPI (Maoist). The arms were allegedly buried to facilitate future attacks on security personnel and civilians operating in the border region.
Addressing a press conference, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Vinodh Patil H described the recovery as another significant achievement in the district’s sustained campaign against Left Wing Extremism.
“Based on the confession and information obtained during the continuous interrogation of surrendered Maoists, a DVF team was dispatched to the Guntabeda and Kadamguda areas under Kalimela police limits. During the operation, the team recovered two SLRs, country-made pistols, an IED, a Claymore mine, BGL launchers, grenades and 37 other types of materials from a concealed underground dump,” the SP said.
He noted that this was the third major arms dump recovered in Malkangiri during June. Earlier, on June 9, security forces recovered a cache containing INSAS rifles, IEDs and grenades from the Mathili area. Another successful operation on June 15 led to the seizure of Sten carbines, a pistol, IEDs and Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) grenades from the Podia area.
The SP reiterated that Malkangiri had achieved the target of becoming free of active Maoist presence by the March 31 deadline. However, he emphasized that security forces remain on high alert as remnants of the insurgent network are believed to have hidden arms and explosives in remote forest areas before retreating.
Officials said the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the District Voluntary Force (DVF) will continue intelligence-driven combing operations across vulnerable forested regions to trace and recover concealed arms, explosives and other logistics in order to prevent any resurgence of Maoist activities and ensure lasting peace in the district.
The latest recovery comes just a week after another major anti-Maoist operation on June 21, when security forces recovered a large cache of arms and explosives from the dense forests of Baipariguda in Koraput district. That operation was also carried out based on intelligence provided by a surrendered Maoist cadre.
With the latest seizure, Odisha has witnessed seven major recoveries of concealed Maoist arms dumps within the last three weeks. These include three recoveries in Malkangiri district, two in Kandhamal district, one in Rayagada district and one in Koraput district.
Senior officials said the series of successful recoveries highlights the effectiveness of sustained intelligence gathering, coordinated anti-insurgency operations and actionable information received from surrendered Maoists. They noted that although active Maoist presence has declined significantly across several districts, the continued discovery of hidden weapons caches underscores the lingering threat posed by abandoned extremist infrastructure.
Security agencies have reaffirmed their commitment to continuing search operations across former Maoist strongholds to eliminate residual threats, recover concealed arms and explosives, and ensure that extremist groups are unable to regroup or revive their activities. Officials expressed confidence that sustained intelligence-led operations will further strengthen peace, security and stability across Odisha’s former Maoist-affected districts while supporting the state’s long-term development initiatives.
