2.5 tonnes of 'looted explosives' recovered from Maoist hideout during joint operation

In a significant breakthrough in the ongoing anti-Maoist operations, a joint team of security forces on Monday successfully seized nearly 2.5 tonnes of explosive materials from a remote forested area near Koida. 

The operation was carried out by personnel from the elite COBRA Battalion, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Special Operations Group (SOG), based on credible intelligence inputs about Maoist activities in the region.

The explosives were discovered in the dense forests of Tiriliposh under the Jareikela police station limits. According to official sources, the Maoist insurgents had buried the explosives underground, cleverly concealing them from aerial and ground surveillance. The cache included various types of explosives that could have potentially been used in large-scale attacks targeting security forces, infrastructure, or public areas.

The joint team launched the search operation in response to a tip-off suggesting Maoist operatives had been stockpiling explosives in the forest. After hours of combing the terrain with the help of metal detectors and sniffer dogs, the security personnel unearthed the hidden materials. The recovered stockpile is now being analyzed to determine its composition and possible origin.

Also Read: Looted explosives recovered after gunfight with Naxals near Odisha-Jharkhand border

Whether the explosives recovered today are part of the major cache of explosives that were looted from Sundargarh district last week.
This operation follows a recent incident where Maoists reportedly looted around 4 tonnes of explosives from Banko stone quarry under K. Balang police limits in Sundargarh on Tuesday.

More than three tonnes (over 75 percent) of looted explosives were recovered on Friday following an exchange of fire between security personnel and Naxalite insurgents in the border region of Jharkhand. The fierce gunfight erupted in a forest around 20 kilometres inside the neighbouring state. Combing operations were simultaneously started from both Odisha and Jharkhand sides.

Also Read:Explosive-laden trucks seized under suspicious circumstances in Odisha's Rourkela

On June 1, two trucks allegedly carrying large quantities of explosives under suspicious circumstances were seized near Balighat petrol pump under Raghunathpali police limits in Rourkela City of Odisha’s Sundargarh district.