The Odisha Police have busted an ammunition dump suspected to have been used by the Maoists for illegal manufacturing and repair of weapons along the Andhra-Orissa border in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected Malkangiri district.
The explosives and arms seized from the ammo dump were meant to target civilians and police forces, said a senior police official on Monday.
This has led to recovery and seizure of arms and explosives, including around 58 kilograms of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), SBML gun, grenades, gelatin sticks.
According to a police a statement, on the basis of specific information, an intensive search was launched by District Voluntary Force (DVF) and Special Operation Group (SOG) in the general area under the Kalimela police station jurisdiction bordering to Andhra-Odisha which resulted in discovery of a major Maoist dump in the jungle near village Kurmanur under the Kalimela Police station jurisdiction yesterday at about 04.30 pm.
The police statement read: “This (the discovery) has led to recovery and seizure of huge quantities of Arm, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other articles. It is suspected that these articles were intended to target civilians and security forces”
The area has seen a spurt in the activities of the Maoists in the recent past indicating that the reds are attempting to reactivate their ‘dalams’ in different areas. Surveillance is being mounted in such vulnerable areas, said a police official.
As such, the recovery is a major jolt to the subversive and anti-national elements in this area. These explosives, along with other articles, are suspected to belong to the Maoists cadres of Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) and were intended to be used against innocent civilians and security forces.
The Maoist forces are desperate to carry out their subversive activities to revive their presence in the area. In the wake of recovery, combing and search operations have been intensified in the area, the officer concluded.