Nuapada: In a significant breakthrough against Left Wing Extremism, a joint team of the Odisha Police and 
the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition, explosives and Maoist operational equipment from the Patdhara Reserve Forest along the Odisha–Chhattisgarh border in Nuapada district.
The recovery was made during a joint search operation conducted on July 7 based on specific intelligence inputs developed by the Nuapada Police under the supervision of the district Superintendent of Police. Personnel of the District Voluntary Force (DVF) and the BD Team of the 19th Battalion CRPF carried out the operation in the forested and hilly Barpat Donger area under Boden police limits.
During the search, security forces discovered a concealed Maoist dump hidden deep inside the reserve forest. Preliminary investigations indicate that the cache was part of an old Maoist stockpile containing explosives, firearms, ammunition and other operational materials previously used by cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist).
Among the items recovered were two country-made guns, a country-made carbine with magazine, 29 rounds of 7.62×39 mm AK-47 ammunition, 54 rounds of 7.62×51 mm SLR ammunition, two tiffin improvised explosive devices (IEDs), eight gelatin sticks, 1.5 kilograms of gunpowder, a detonator, batteries, a multimeter, solar panel, electrical wires, codex wire, a wire cutter, testing equipment, Maoist uniforms, haversacks, footwear, Maoist literature, cooking utensils and a medical kit.
Police officials said the recovery underscores the continued efforts of security forces to dismantle residual Maoist infrastructure and prevent extremist elements from regrouping in the region. The operation is being seen as a major step towards completely sanitising areas once affected by Left Wing Extremism.
Authorities noted that the seizure reflects the effectiveness of sustained intelligence-based operations and area domination exercises being carried out in the district. Officials also linked the achievement to ongoing efforts to meet the target of making Nuapada district free from Naxal influence by March 31, 2026.
No casualties were reported during the operation.
Police said search, area domination and sanitisation drives will continue in the adjoining forest areas along the Odisha–Chhattisgarh border to prevent any resurgence of extremist activities and to ensure lasting peace, security and development in the region.
