Malkangiri, May 13: Security forces have achieved a major breakthrough in the anti-Maoist operation by unearthing a massive Maoist dump from the dense Abujhmad forest along the Malkangiri-Chhattisgarh border. Cash exceeding ₹1 crore, along with a large cache of sophisticated weapons and explosives, has been seized during the operation. Search operations are still continuing in the forest region.
According to police sources, the operation was launched following specific intelligence inputs received from surrendered Maoists. Acting on the information, security personnel intensified combing operations deep inside the Abujhmad forest area. During the search, jawans detected a huge underground dump concealed beneath the soil in the dense forest.
Security forces recovered ₹1 crore 1 lakh 64 thousand in cash along with a huge quantity of arms and ammunition. The seized weapons include AK-4 rifles, SLRs, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, LMGs, BGLs and rocket launchers. A large quantity of explosive materials was also recovered from the spot.
Police suspect that the Maoists had stockpiled the weapons and explosives to carry out a major attack on security forces in the region. Officials said the seizure has dealt a significant blow to Maoist activities operating in the forest belt.
Meanwhile, despite claims that Narayanpur district has been freed from Maoist influence, police believe secret Maoist dumps may still be hidden in remote and inaccessible forest pockets like Abujhmad. Narayanpur Police has stated that intensified anti-Maoist search and combing operations will continue in the coming days.
