The Odisha police have busted an ammunition dump suspected to have been used by Maoists for illegal manufacturing and repair of weapons along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border in the Malkangiri district, a senior police officer said on Sunday.

Upon receiving a tip-off, a police team led by Malkangiri SP Vivekanand Sharma conducted searches in the Kantapali area under the MV-79 police limits, Jinelguda and Tokalguda under the Motu police limit in Malkangiri district bordering Sukma district of the neighbouring Chhattisgarh on Saturday. During the searches, the security forces busted one of the major Maoist dumps around 4.30 pm on January 11, a statement issued by the state police said.

Advertisement

The police also seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition and other Maoist articles at these sites. The seized items include 1 SLR rifle with sling, 2 SLR magazines, 4 ammunition charger clips, 50 rounds of 7.62 mm SLR Ball ammunition, 2 rounds of .303 Ball ammunition, 1 magazine pouch, 1 toothbrush, 2 soaps, 1 shirt, 1/2 metre jungle patch cloth, 1 marker, 1 whistle cord, 1 torch, 1 handkerchief, 1 screwdriver, 1 syringe, 1 soap box, 1 mobile phone with SIM, and some Maoist literature.

It is suspected that these explosives, along with other articles, belong to Maoist cadres of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) and were intended to be used against civilians and security forces, officials added.