Explosives loot by Maoists in Odisha: Sundargarh warehouse owner arrested as probe deepens

In a major development in the investigation into last week's Maoist looting of explosives in Sundargarh district, police on Tuesday arrested Shravan Agrawal, the owner of the explosive warehouse in Badgaon.

The arrest follows days of intense interrogation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which had earlier detained Agrawal at the Raghunathpali police station in Rourkela.

Reports mentioned that authorities also detained the driver of the truck, who transported the explosives that were later looted by the Maoists. The warehouse had already been sealed by police last week after the incident drew national attention and led to heightened security concerns across the region.

4-Tonne Explosives Looted by Maoists

On May 28, Maoist insurgents intercepted a truck carrying commercial explosives bound for the Banko stone quarry under K. Balang police station limits.

The Naxals reportedly made off with approximately four tonnes of explosive material, including nearly 150 packets of gelatin sticks, raising fears of potential attacks in the region and beyond.

Notably, the robbery appeared well-planned and took place near a forested area, with the truck hijacked en route to its destination.

In response, a four-member SIT was constituted, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was also roped in to investigate the case, viewing it as a matter of national security.

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Large Cache Recovered After Gunfight

Following the heist, a massive combing operation was launched by a joint team of the CRPF, SOG, and the elite COBRA unit. More than 75 per cent of the looted explosives, around three tonnes, were recovered after a fierce gunfight with Maoists in a dense forest near the Odisha-Jharkhand border, with many unearthed from Tiriliposh forest in Koida, Sundargarh, where they had been buried underground.

The explosives were reportedly concealed using sophisticated methods to evade detection, and their composition is now being analysed to trace their source and intended use.

Meanwhile, Odisha Police, in coordination with Jharkhand and West Bengal authorities, has tightened border security and stepped up surveillance in Maoist-prone areas. The SIT is continuing its probe to identify all those linked to the transportation and possible diversion of explosives from licensed warehouses.