Jagdalpur: Security forces have achieved a significant success in the ongoing anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district with the recovery of a Maoist weapons and equipment dump from the remote forested and hilly terrain of Morkhandi village under Chhotebethiya police station limits.
The recovery was made during an intensive search operation conducted by a joint team comprising personnel of the District Force, Border Security Force (BSF) and the BSF’s Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS). The operation was carried out in the forest and hill areas on August 25, according to police officials.
Kanker Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha confirmed the recovery, stating that the security forces detected a concealed Maoist dump during the search operation and subsequently seized the material hidden in the area.
Four Country-Made Guns, Wireless Set Recovered
During the search of the dump, the security forces recovered four Bharmaar guns, three Bharmaar gun barrels, one wireless set, three bundles of electrical wire, one GPS device, one small solar panel and one charger.
In addition, Maoist literature and other material associated with the banned insurgent group were also recovered from the site.
The recovery is considered important from an operational perspective as security forces have been conducting sustained searches in remote and sensitive areas to locate concealed Maoist dumps and disrupt the logistical network used by insurgents.
The operation also highlights the continuing focus of security agencies on securing interior forest areas and strengthening security in villages located close to the state’s borders and other vulnerable zones.
Joint Anti-Maoist Operation Underway in Sensitive Areas
The operation was conducted under the direction of Bastar Range Inspector General of Police Badri Narayan Meena and under the guidance of BSF DIG, Bhanupratappur, Deepak Tiwari, Kanker SP Nikhil Rakhecha and Subhash Chandra, Second-in-Command of the 94th Battalion BSF, Bande.
The District Force, BSF and BDS teams have been conducting continuous search operations across sensitive and border areas as part of the broader campaign against Maoist activities.
During the search of the Morkhandi forest-hill area, the joint team received information about the presence of a concealed dump. Acting on the input, security personnel thoroughly searched the surrounding area and located the hidden cache.
The recovery was subsequently secured and taken into official custody for further investigation.
BSF Personnel Played Key Role in Search Operation
Personnel of the 94th Battalion BSF were also involved in the operation. The team included Inspector Hanuman Meena, Sub-Inspector Mohit Bansal and BDS team commander Sub-Inspector Roshan Lal Meena.
The involvement of the BDS team was significant given the possibility of concealed explosive material or other hazardous objects in Maoist-affected forest areas. Security forces have been maintaining heightened vigilance while conducting search operations in such difficult terrain.
Police officials said the continued searches are aimed at identifying hidden Maoist infrastructure, weapons caches and other material that could potentially be used to support insurgent activities.
Focus on Recovering Concealed Maoist Dumps
The recovery from Morkhandi comes amid an intensified effort by security agencies to trace and recover Maoist dumps in the Bastar region. Inputs from surrendered Maoist cadres have increasingly been used by security forces to identify locations where weapons, ammunition, communication equipment and other supplies were allegedly concealed.
Security personnel are continuing to conduct operations in forests and hilly areas to make interior villages safer and reduce the possibility of Maoist groups using such locations for logistical support.
Officials have maintained that although security conditions have improved considerably in several parts of the Bastar region, forces continue to remain deployed in vulnerable areas as a precautionary measure. Joint search operations are being conducted to identify any remaining pockets of Maoist activity and to strengthen security for local communities.
Security Forces Maintain Vigilance in Border and Forest Areas
According to Kanker Police, joint search operations by the District Force and BSF will continue in sensitive and border areas. Special attention is being given to forested and hilly terrain where Maoist groups may have previously concealed weapons, communication equipment or other supplies.
The latest recovery has further strengthened the ongoing efforts to disrupt Maoist logistics and prevent the use of concealed material for future activities.
Police officials said security forces are maintaining additional vigilance in the affected areas and will continue intensive searches to detect hidden dumps and other signs of Maoist presence.
The broader objective of the ongoing campaign is to consolidate peace and security in the region, improve access to remote villages and strengthen the confidence of local residents in the security and administrative machinery.
The recovery of the Morkhandi dump is being viewed as another operational success for the joint forces, particularly in the difficult forest and hill terrain of Kanker district. Further searches and security operations are expected to continue in the area as part of the sustained anti-Maoist campaign.
It may be noted that a day earlier, security forces recovered a large cache of weapons and explosives from the Bhandarpadar-Munurkonda forests in Sukma district based on information provided by surrendered Maoist cadres.
During the joint search operation, teams of the District Force, District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Bastar Fighters recovered 23 firearms, 492 rounds of ammunition, 240 gelatin sticks, gunpowder and grenades, along with a substantial quantity of other Maoist-related material.
