Mumbai: Gadchiroli Police uncovered a cache of firearms and explosive materials allegedly hidden by Maoists in Koparshi forest along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.
The seizure included a .303 rifle, single-shot rifles, country-made pistols, a barrel grenade launcher, live cartridges, detonators and pressure cookers used to fabricate improvised explosive devices.
“Gadchiroli police have identified 575 square kilometres of area that has been under the influence of Naxals, out of which a target of 123 square kilometres has been achieved by us. The remaining area will be covered by us in the coming few months,” Superintendent of Police M Ramesh told FPJ on Thursday.
Maharashtra's Maoist-free status
According to an FPJ report dated October 2, Maharashtra had been declared free from armed Maoism, with no active armed Maoists remaining on the state’s records, after Gadchiroli district became free from armed Maoist cadres in May.
Security teams uncover buried arsenal
The operation was conducted on October 6, based on confidential intelligence, under Ramesh’s direct supervision.
Five Special Operations Team teams and two Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad teams searched the remote inter-state border forest. After a tactical sweep, BDDS personnel located and unearthed the buried arsenal. Security personnel also found and destroyed a substantial quantity of Maoist literature at the site.
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“Historically, insurgents have exploited the geographic isolation of the inter-state border forests to build secret arms dumps. These weapon reserves are traditionally unburied to orchestrate targeted ambushes against security forces during high-alert periods like ‘Naxal weeks’ or regional elections,” said a Gadchiroli police officer.
Seized arms and equipment
1 .303 rifle
2 single-shot rifles
2 country-made pistols
1 barrel grenade launcher
10 BGL cells
21 live cartridges
7 detonators
150 metres of cable wire
2 ammunition magazines
Pressure cookers
3 walkie-talkies
