Bhubaneswar: Kandhamal Police have recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosive materials from a concealed Maoist dump during a major anti-Naxal operation conducted in the district.
The recovery was made during a coordinated search operation launched on June 16 based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of hidden Maoist materials in remote forested areas. The operation covered Sitagurha, Ganjugurha, Kutibarhi, Gudrikya and Lanjam regions under the jurisdictions of Kotagarh, Baliguda and Tumudibandha police stations, according to an official release.
The search operation involved two teams of the Special Operations Group (SOG) and one team of the District Voluntary Force (DVF). During the intensive combing exercise, security personnel detected concealed Maoist dump sites within the Kotagarh police station area.
Following the discovery, a Bomb Disposal Squad carried out a systematic search of the site after taking all necessary safety precautions to rule out the presence of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The operation resulted in the recovery of a significant quantity of arms, ammunition, explosive components and logistical supplies believed to belong to Maoist cadres.
According to police, the recovered items included one .303 rifle, two 12-bore guns, two single-shot guns, one 8 mm firearm with a wooden butt, one .303 magazine, 18 rounds of .303 ammunition, 10 rounds of 12-bore cartridges, 35 rounds of 8 mm ammunition, 10 metres of codex wire and five electric detonators. Several articles of daily use and field equipment were also seized from the dump site.
The operation comes months after Kandhamal achieved its target of becoming completely Naxal-free by March 31, 2026, under the national anti-Naxal strategy. Despite the district being declared free of active Maoist presence, security agencies continue to trace and recover hidden arms dumps and explosive caches left behind by extremists in remote areas.
Security agencies have intensified surveillance in vulnerable forest zones to ensure that residual extremist networks do not regain a foothold in the region. The continued recovery of hidden arms and explosives is seen as part of efforts to eliminate remnants of Maoist infrastructure and strengthen long-term peace and security in Kandhamal and adjoining districts.
