Bhubaneswar: The police have unearthed a Maoist dump in Odisha’s Kandhamal district and recovered a significant cache of arms and ammunition.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding the concealed Maoist materials, the Kandhamal Police launched a multi-party search operation across the Sitagurha, Ganjugurha, Kutibarhi, Gudrikya and Lanjam areas under Kotagarh, Baliguda and Tumudibandha Police Stations on June 16.

The personnel of Special Operations Group (SOG) and District Voluntary Force (DVF) carried out the operation. During the intensive search, police teams detected concealed Maoist dump sites within the jurisdiction of Kotagarh police limits.

Following the discovery, the bomb disposal squad carried out a systematic search of the area after adopting all necessary safety precautions to rule out the possibility of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The operation led to the successful recovery of a significant cache of Maoist materials, including firearms, ammunition, explosive components and other logistical supplies, said the Odisha Police.

The recovered items included one .303 rifle, two 12-bore guns, two single-shot guns, one 8 mm gun with 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, five electric detonators, as well as various articles of daily use and field equipment, it added.

The cops have confirmed that the recovered weapons, explosives and other incriminating materials belonged to Maoist cadres. Although Kandhamal district has been declared as completely Naxal-free by March 31 this year, the security forces continue to recover old Maoist dumps concealed in remote forest areas, stated the Odisha Police.

“Regular area domination and combing operations are being conducted jointly by SOG, DVF, CRPF and BSF personnel to locate hidden caches of arms and explosives, prevent any resurgence of Maoist activity and ensure lasting peace and security in the region. The recovery highlights the continued vigilance and operational preparedness of security forces in safeguarding the district against residual extremist threats,” it added.