Maoist arms, explosives recovered during forest operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur

Raipur/Bijapur: Security forces have recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosive materials allegedly concealed by Maoists in the forested terrain near Bade-Alwara village under the Farsegarh police station limits in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, officials said on Wednesday.

Acting on specific information from an informant, a joint team comprising personnel from Farsegarh police station, the District Reserve Guard (DRG) Bijapur, and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) Bijapur launched a targeted search operation led by the Superintendent of Police, Bijapur.

The team thoroughly combed the forested and elevated areas surrounding Bade-Alwara village. During the operation, officials said the security forces team located weapons and explosive items carefully hidden by the Maoists.

Following strict safety protocols, the BDS team carried out demining procedures to neutralise any potential threats before the materials were safely recovered and secured.

The recovered items include one .315 bore country-made pistol (locally known as a Katta), 49 live rounds of .315 bore ammunition, 25 live rounds of .303 rifle ammunition, and 34 live 12-bore cartridges.

Also seized were a .303 rifle butt plate, bolt, empty magazine, and other related parts, along with eight kg of gelatin, the officials said.

In addition, the team recovered six walkie-talkie sets with chargers, one main pack set, various electronic and copper wires, detonator wire, clutch wire and other explosive components.

Batteries, cells, switches, sockets and an assortment of tools and equipment were also found at the site.

Officials said the recovered weapons and explosive materials have been seized under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Further legal proceedings are underway.

The successful recovery underscores the continuous efforts of the security forces in Bijapur to dismantle Maoist infrastructure and prevent the use of such arms and explosives in the region.

Intensive searches and intelligence-based operations continue in the forested areas of the district to neutralise remaining threats.

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