Maoist hideout busted in Odisha’s Boudh; several explosives, contrabands seized

In a significant crackdown, security forces uncovered a Maoist hideout near Kanagun village in Boudh district on Saturday and seized several contrabands.

Acting on precise intelligence, a joint team comprising the Special Operations Group (SOG), District Voluntary Force (DVF), and a bomb disposal squad launched a planned operation in the Matakupa protected forest under the Manmunda police station area.

Led by the Superintendent of Police (SP), the raid yielded a cache of explosives, including 36 detonators, 33 gelatin sticks, Naxal uniforms, and propaganda materials. Authorities confirmed the seizure, terming it a major achievement in curbing Maoist activities in the region.

Past Success: Saranda Forest Operations and Health Camp Discovery

This operation follows a series of strategic victories against Maoist strongholds in Odisha’s border zones.

Earlier this month, security forces dismantled a Maoist encampment in the dense Saranda forest straddling the Odisha-Jharkhand border in West Singhbhum district.

A joint task force of the Special Task Force (STF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) destroyed 16 bunkers and seized four 5-kilogram Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), detonators, communication devices, and Maoist literature.

The Saranda operation was further built on earlier breakthroughs, including a February raid in the Chintalnar forests along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. In that operation, CRPF’s elite CoBRA unit exposed a Maoist health camp, confiscating advanced medical equipment such as automated eye-testing machines, pharmaceuticals, and hot water bags.

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Odisha’s Director General of Police (DGP), YB Khurania, previously underscored the state’s progress in combating Naxals, stating that earlier, 21 districts in Odisha were Maoist-affected, but in 2025, that number had dropped to seven.