Huge amount of arms, ammunition including rocket launcher seized by BSF in Odisha’s Malkangiri

BSF seized a huge stock of arms and ammunition including a rocket launcher from a Maoist arms dump in Odisha's Malkangiri district

Bhubaneswar: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday seized a huge stock of arms and ammunition including a rocket launcher from a Maoist arms dump in Odisha’s Malkangiri district.

The BSF in a statement said that personnel of its 142 Battalion conducted a search operation in Bejangiwada Reserve Forest of the district on the basis of specific information about Maoists.

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“During the search, the BSF personnel found a Maoist dump in the reserve forest near Amapadar-Elkanur village and Bodiluguda-Brundamamdi axis under Kalimela police limits in the district,” the statement said.

The seized arms and ammunition included one 303 rifle, 11 Barrel (SBML), 1 magazine of 303 rifle, 15 improvised hand grenades, three country-made guns, two 51 MM mortar bombs, a gas welding machine, 42 live cartridges, one country-made rocket launcher, two Bren 303 LMG spare barrels, 29 gelatin sticks, five packets of aluminium nitrate, 30 electric detonators and nine synthetic waist belts, it said.

The BSF has been carrying out operations in the Maoist-affected districts of Malkangiri and Koraput in South Odisha. Such recoveries would certainly dent Maoist strategy and dampen their spirits to take on ever-growing dominance of security forces, it said.

The statement said earlier this area used to be highly influenced by Maoists and their sympathisers. The Maoist outfits would keep IED-making materials and ammunitions at isolated and secluded places to be used against security forces operating in these areas.

However, the BSF is actively operating in Malkangiri district and extensively dominating the area. In the wake of recovery, further combing and search operations would continue to make the area safe for security forces as well as locals, the BSF said.