The recovery of a US-made rifle from Naxalites killed in a gunfight with police has now become a source of headache for the police.
The exchange of fire had taken place in Pomra forest under Mirtur police limits in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on November 26.
According to sources, after getting input about the presence of Naxalites in Pomra forest, a joint combing operation was carried out reportedly by the jawans of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF).
During the operation, the Ultras opened fire at the jawans. In retaliation, the jawans too opened fire. In the gunfight, four Naxalites were killed.
Besides the recovery of four bodies, the police also seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the spot.
One of the seized weapons was a Made in America rifle. It is M1 Carbine rifle which was used in the World War II and Vietnam War. While the rifle’s effective shooting range is 300 meter, it has a cycle firing rate of 15 to 20 rounds.
Now the question arising is from where the Naxals procured such sophisticated US-made rifle. The police are currently investigating to find out the source of the procurement.
Confirming the procurement of M1 Carbine rifle, BIjapur SP Anjaneya Varshney said, “A clash between the police and Naxalites took place in the Pomra forest area under Mirtur police limits on November 26. After the gunfight, the police recovered four bodies of ultras besides four weapons. One of the weapons was a US-made M1 Carbine. Comparative to the assault rifles and battle rifles, its barrel is shorter one. Its specialty is it can easily be carried where it is difficult to move with other bigger versions. The police are investigating to find out from which source the Naxalites had procured the firearm.”