Boudh: Security forces unearthed a Maoist dump and seized a large cache of explosives, including 230 gelatin sticks, from a forested area near Kanagun village under Manamunda police limits in the district, informed SP Nagaraj Devarakonda Friday.
Addressing a press conference at the district police headquarters Devarakonda said intelligence reports had indicated increasing Maoist activity in the forested areas along the Boudh-Kandhamal border. “Acting on the information, police patrols and search operations were intensified. Information was received Thursday about a substantial stockpile of explosives and Maoist materials near Kanagun village under Gundulia Panchayat in Boudh block,” he said. A joint team comprising anti-Maoist operation personnel, District Voluntary Force (DVF), and bomb disposal units were dispatched for a search operation. The security forces, with the help of the bomb disposal squad, seized a significant quantity of explosives and Maoist materials Friday morning, the SP said.
Among the seized items were 230 gelatin sticks, safety fuses, pressure mechanisms, batteries, Maoist uniforms, and various other supplies, he added. Devarakonda said a case has been registered at the Manamunda police station in connection with the seizures. “The recovery of such a large number of gelatin sticks and Maoist materials clearly highlights the active presence of Maoists in the area,” he added. Meanwhile, a Maoist with a bounty of Rs 2 lakh on her head was arrested from Kurti jungle of Malkangiri district Friday. Anti Madvi alias Lakey ,29, a member of the Uday Protection Team, was involved in nine incidents of gunfight with security forces in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh between 2018 and 2021, DIG (South-Western Range) Niti Shekhar said.
