China to Chhattisgarh: Chinese Hand Grenade Turns Up in Maoist Arms Cache
The police, security forces have uncovered several Maoist dumps.
By Sakshi
New Delhi, September 22: Security forces have recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives, including a Chinese hand grenade, from forest areas of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, where Maoists had allegedly concealed the materials in the past, police said on Tuesday.
Police officials said the latest recovery was made during a search and demining operation carried out this month in the Lanka Pahadi forest, within the limits of the Bedre police station.
The recovered materials include one Self Loading Rifle (SLR), one INSAS rifle, one .315-bore gun, two barrel grenade launchers (BGLs), 17 BGL shells, one Chinese hand grenade, 49 rounds of SLR ammunition, 15 rounds of .315-bore ammunition, four SLR magazines and one .315-bore magazine, officials said.
According to the officials, more equipment and materials were also seized from the dump.
The recovered weapons and other materials were confiscated in accordance with the law, and an investigation is currently underway, police said.
According to the police, security forces have uncovered several Maoist dumps that were previously concealed during various operations in Bijapur in September.
On September 20, an AK-47, a .315-bore weapon, a single-shot gun, a handgun, live ammunition and magazines were recovered from a forested area within the limits of the Bhairamgarh police station, officials said.
A .315-bore rifle, 49 live rounds, 25 live .303 rounds, 49 live 12-bore rounds, 8 kg of gelatin, a walkie-talkie and other tools and equipment were also recovered by security personnel on September 16 from a forested area within the limits of the Farsegarh police station, they added.
A country-made 12-bore gun, a BGL launcher, eight BGL shells, ten live 12-bore rounds and other materials were recovered by security forces from a Maoist dump in the Neelmadgu forest under Bhopalpatnam police station limits on September 1.
On September 10, non-electric wire in seven bundles, detonators and grenades were recovered from various locations in the Indripaal forest under Mirtur police station limits.
After Chhattisgarh was declared free from armed Maoist presence on March 31, security forces have intensified search operations across the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur, to trace caches of weapons, explosives and other materials allegedly hidden by Maoists in the past, police said.
