Koraput: In a significant breakthrough against Left Wing Extremism, Odisha Police recovered a major cache of arms, ammunition and explosives suspected to belong to Maoist cadres during a search operation in Koraput district on Monday.

According to a press release issued by Koraput Police, the operation was conducted by the District Voluntary Force (DVF) in the forested Badlipahad area under Boipariguda police limits, near the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border.

Addressing a presser today, Koraput Superintendent of Police Rohit Verma said that the search operation was launched on June 22 based on intelligence gathered during the interrogation of surrendered Maoists. At around 5.30 am, security personnel unearthed a major Maoist dump concealed in the forest area bordering the Nangur police station jurisdiction in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. 

Police recovered a substantial quantity of weapons and explosives, which are suspected to have been stored for use in attacks against civilians and security forces.

Arms and Explosives seized 

The recovered materials include:

• One INSAS rifle
• Six country-made guns
• One Claymore mine weighing approximately 18 kg
• One 10-kg tiffin bomb IED
• Six 4-kg tiffin bomb IEDs
• One Maoist kit bag
• Maoist literature
• Medicines and food items

Police suspect the recovered cache belonged to cadres of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), a Maoist formation that has historically operated in the border regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Efforts to prevent Maoist resurgence

The recovery comes months after Koraput achieved its target of becoming Naxal-free by March 31, 2026, in line with the deadline set by the Union government.

Police said that between January 2025 and March 2026, one Maoist cadre was arrested while another surrendered before authorities in the district.

Security agencies, including the Special Operations Group (SOG), District Voluntary Force (DVF) and the Border Security Force (BSF), have been carrying out regular combing and search operations in vulnerable areas to detect and destroy underground Maoist dumps.

Officials said such operations are aimed at preventing any revival of Maoist activities and ensuring long-term peace and security in the region.

Further investigation is underway to identify the Maoist group responsible for concealing the weapons and explosives and to trace any remaining caches in the area.