Bhubaneswar, July 17: In a major breakthrough in anti-Maoist operations, security forces recovered a large cache of explosives from the Gumma forest area in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Thursday. The operation was carried out following specific intelligence inputs, under the direction of Kandhamal SP Harisha B.C.

A joint team comprising personnel from the District Voluntary Force (DVF) and a bomb disposal squad launched a combing operation in the dense forest under Kotgarh police limits. The bomb squad conducted a thorough sanitisation of the site before excavation, to prevent any mishap due to pressure bombs or booby traps.

During the search, the team successfully unearthed 600 detonators and a remote-control device hidden beneath the forest floor. Police officials believe the cache was likely stockpiled by Maoist insurgents for planned attacks on security forces.

This recovery is seen as a crucial step in weakening the Maoist network in the region, which has witnessed intermittent rebel activities in the past. Security forces have intensified search operations in nearby areas and increased patrolling to prevent any resurgence of Maoist threats. The operation is still ongoing.

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