Jagdalpur: Security forces have recovered a suspected Maoist weapons and ammunition dump from a forested area near a riverbank in Neelamdgu village under Bhopalpatnam police station limits in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said.
The recovery was made as part of ongoing anti-Maoist and security operations being conducted in sensitive areas of the district. According to police, Bhopalpatnam police received intelligence that suspicious materials had been concealed near a riverbank in the forested area of Neelamdgu village.
Acting on the input, a joint security team was immediately dispatched to the area and launched a search operation covering the forest and surrounding locations. During the search, personnel found a hollow inside a felled tree near the riverbank. A cache of weapons and ammunition had allegedly been concealed inside the hollow in an abandoned condition.
Weapons and ammunition recovered
According to police, the recovered material included one 12-bore country-made gun, one damaged BGL rifle, eight BGL cells, 10 live 12-bore rounds, three country-made gun cell caps, one pair of pliers and one backpack. The security personnel secured the recovered material and followed the prescribed procedures during the seizure.
Bijapur Superintendent of Police Umesh Prasad Gupta confirmed the recovery and said search and security operations were being continuously conducted in sensitive areas of the district. He said security forces would continue to intensify search operations in forested and vulnerable areas to prevent Maoist cadres from using such locations to conceal weapons, ammunition and other operational material.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of SP Umesh Prasad Gupta. Bhopalpatnam SDOP Ghanshyam Kamde, Bhopalpatnam police station in-charge Mukesh Patel, personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) Bijapur, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and Bhopalpatnam police were involved in the operation.
Police said the recovery of the concealed cache is significant from a security perspective as such hidden dumps are allegedly used by Maoist cadres to store weapons and other materials for future operations.
Anti-Maoist operations to continue
The Bijapur police said anti-Maoist operations would continue in the coming days, with security forces maintaining heightened surveillance and conducting search operations in forest areas and other sensitive locations.
Officials said the recovery of the concealed weapons cache would help disrupt the logistical network used by Maoist cadres to store and move arms and ammunition.
The latest recovery comes amid continued security operations against Maoist activities in the region. Security forces have been carrying out coordinated operations to identify concealed weapons dumps and prevent their use by armed cadres.
Another Maoist dump recovered four days ago
The latest recovery comes just four days after security forces recovered another suspected Maoist dump in Bijapur district. In that operation, a joint team of Basaguda police and the DRG recovered a cache from a forested area near Pegadapalli village. During the operation, security personnel also detained a suspected Maoist aide identified as Bogam Lakhmu, 39, a resident of Chinnagelur under Tarrem police station limits.
Police said Lakhmu was questioned after being detained during the search operation. During interrogation, he allegedly admitted to being associated with the Chinnagelur unit of the Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangh (DAKMS), which police have linked to the banned CPI-Maoist.
Police further alleged that he had been involved in transporting and concealing Maoist-related materials and explosives in forest areas. Based on information obtained during questioning, security personnel conducted a search at a suspected location and recovered ₹50,050 in cash, one BGL launcher, 18 BGL cells, 12 arrow bombs, one hand grenade, 15 live .303 rounds, 31 BGL cartridges and an empty INSAS magazine.
The recovery also included electrical wire, three-round chargers and an emitter lead, according to police. The seized materials were secured and sealed in accordance with prescribed procedures, while a seizure panchnama was prepared.
Police said the accused was booked under relevant provisions of the Explosives Act and other applicable laws. He was subsequently produced before a court and sent to judicial remand.
Investigators are also examining the suspected logistical network associated with the accused and are attempting to identify other individuals who may have been involved in transporting, storing or concealing Maoist weapons and explosive materials.
