The District Voluntary Force (DVF), a special constabulary unit of the Odisha Police, on Wednesday busted an ammunition dump suspected to have been used by the Maoists for illegal manufacturing and repair of weapons in forest areas bordering Andhra Pradesh in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected Odisha’s Malkangiri district, police said.
Based on specific information received, an intensive search was conducted by the DVF Unit, Malkangiri, in the general area of Madhumal and Chilkalmamidi Reserve Forest under Kalimela Police Station limits of Malkangiri district, bordering Sileru and Donkarai Police Station limits of Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district in Andhra Pradesh. The operation led to the uncovering of a major Maoist gun-repair and maintenance unit along with machines, equipment, explosives, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). A huge cache of explosives and other incriminating articles was recovered and seized,” a statement issued by the district police stated.
The explosives seized included, among other things, six kilograms of IEDs, five detonators, and Maoist literature, it added.
This is a major jolt to the subversive and anti-national design of Maoists in this area. The explosives were intended to be used against innocent civilians and security forces to carry out their subversive, anti-national activities and to show their presence again in this area. In the wake of recovery, further combing and search operations are going on in this area, it concluded.