Police and security forces officials briefing the media on the recovery of a Maoist weapons and explosives dump in Dantewada.
JAGDALPUR: Security forces have achieved a major breakthrough in the ongoing campaign against Naxalism in Chhattisgarh with the recovery of a large cache of arms, ammunition, explosives and other Naxal-related material from a forest and hilly area in Dantewada district.
The recovery was made during an area domination and search operation conducted jointly by Dantewada Police and security forces in the Barsur police station area. The operation was launched on the basis of specific intelligence inputs received from surrendered Naxal cadres regarding weapons and other material concealed in the forests and inaccessible terrain.
The cache was recovered from the forest and hilly areas around Manganar, Burdum, Toda and Kohkabeda villages. According to police, the operation was part of sustained efforts to locate and neutralise hidden Naxal dumps and prevent the use of such material for carrying out attacks or maintaining armed activities in remote areas.
According to Dantewada police, the search operation was launched on October 5 under the guidance of senior security officials. The joint team comprised personnel from the District Force, District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Bastar Range Inspector General of Police Badrinarayan Meena, CRPF DIG (Operations), Dantewada Superintendent of Police Chandramohan Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Khute and Deputy Superintendent of Police Nasrullah Siddiqui.
The security personnel conducted extensive searches across the forest and hilly terrain of Manganar, Burdum, Toda and Kohkabeda, areas considered difficult to access because of their dense vegetation and rugged terrain.
Police said the search was specifically aimed at locating weapons, ammunition, explosives and other material that Naxal cadres may have concealed to evade security forces.
The joint team achieved the breakthrough on the morning of October 6 while conducting a search between Kohkabeda and Burdum.
During the operation, the personnel detected a dump that had allegedly been concealed by Naxalites in the forest and hilly terrain. The security forces subsequently carried out an intensive search of the surrounding area and recovered a substantial quantity of arms, ammunition, explosives and other material.
The recovered material was taken into safe custody and police initiated further action according to established procedures.
Officials said the recovery was significant as Naxal cadres frequently rely on concealed dumps in remote forest areas to store weapons, ammunition, explosives, communication equipment and other supplies. Such caches allow armed groups to maintain their operations while reducing the risk of detection during movement.
Police said the latest recovery was made possible by actionable information received from surrendered Naxal cadres, highlighting the importance of intelligence inputs in ongoing anti-Naxal operations.
The arms recovered from the dump included one AK-47 rifle, one INSAS rifle, one BGL (Barrel Grenade Launcher), one .315-bore gun and six locally manufactured muzzle-loading guns.
The security forces also recovered nine BGL shells, 23 rounds of AK-47 ammunition along with a magazine, five BGL rounds and 138 rounds of .315-bore ammunition. One INSAS magazine was also seized.
The recovery of an AK-47 and INSAS rifle, along with a BGL launcher and a significant quantity of ammunition, has added to the importance of the operation from the security perspective.
Police have taken possession of the recovered weapons and ammunition for further investigation and necessary legal action.
The dump also contained a substantial quantity of explosive material. Security personnel recovered two tiffin bombs, eight cooker bombs and two arrow bombs during the search.
Around 20 metres of cordex wire and 24 piston-rod springs were also recovered. A multimeter and other associated material were among the items seized.
The presence of explosives and related material in the concealed dump indicates that the cache was not limited to firearms and ammunition but also contained materials that could be used for explosive-related activities.
The recovered material has been secured by the police and further investigation is underway to determine its intended use and the circumstances in which the dump was established.
Apart from weapons and explosives, the joint team recovered communication and other equipment allegedly linked to Naxal operations.
Twenty walkie-talkie sets were seized from the dump. According to police, the communication equipment is suspected to have been used by Naxal cadres for maintaining contact with one another in the forest and remote areas.
The security forces also recovered two pairs of Naxal uniforms, an inverter, two car inverters, a multimeter and other material.
Officials said the recovery of communication equipment along with weapons, explosives and uniforms provides important leads for the ongoing investigation into the network and activities associated with the concealed dump.
Dantewada SP Chandramohan Singh said the security forces would continue area domination and search operations in the district as part of the broader campaign to eliminate Naxal activities.
According to the police, Naxal cadres have historically concealed weapons, ammunition and explosives in forests and difficult-to-access areas to avoid detection by security forces. Teams are therefore continuing to search vulnerable and sensitive locations for additional hidden caches.
The latest operation has also led to intensified searches in the surrounding forest and hilly areas of Barsur to determine whether any additional dumps are present.
Police said intelligence inputs provided by surrendered Naxal cadres are being incorporated into operational planning and are helping security forces identify locations where weapons and other material may have been concealed.
Dantewada Police said the objective of the continuing area domination and search operations is not only to recover weapons and explosives but also to strengthen the security environment necessary for development in the region.
The force said operations would continue in forested and remote areas to prevent Naxal cadres from accessing concealed weapons and other logistical material.
The latest recovery comes amid intensified security operations across the Bastar region. According to police information contained in the material, security forces have been conducting sustained search and area-domination operations to trace arms, ammunition, explosives and other material concealed by Maoists.
Police have also said that a significant number of firearms previously looted by Maoists from security forces in Dantewada have been recovered over time, including weapons recovered from surrendered cadres.
With the latest recovery, security forces have further intensified their vigil across the Barsur area. Search teams are continuing operations in the surrounding forests and hills to identify additional concealed caches and ensure that weapons and explosives do not fall into the hands of active Naxal cadres.
Dantewada Police reiterated that area domination, intelligence-based operations and systematic searches of difficult terrain would continue as part of efforts to maintain peace, security and an environment conducive to development in the district.
