In what Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay on Friday termed as the “biggest arms seizure in Odisha’s history”, arms and ammunitions have been recovered from Maoist hideouts over a recent period of time in joint operations by the Odisha police, BSF, CoBRA and Andhra Pradesh police in Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri district.

The seizures include one light machine gun, three Insas rifles, three carbine sten guns, 1 SLR rifle, a .303 rifle, one pistol, 202 rounds of 5.6 mm ammunition, 59 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, 42 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 4 LMG magazines, eight INSAS magazines, two SLR magazines, six carbine magazines, one 303 magazine, two VHF set cum scanner, one optical sight and a tiffin bomb along with explosive.

This was one of the biggest counter-Leftwing extremist operations in the area that was underway to provide security cover for road construction in the region, which was opposed by the Maoists, informed DGP Abhay.

The DGP said an exchange of fire between a team comprising Special Operations Group and District Voluntary Force commandos of Odisha police and Maoists had taken place at Goiguda village on January 15.

On the basis of information recovered from Maoist documents and electronic devices seized following the exchange of fire, intense search and area domination exercises were launched that led to uncovering of the major Maoist hideouts and ammunition dumps in Swabhiman Anchal and adjoining areas.

It is suspected that the arms and ammunitions might have been looted from police in the past.

“We suspect that the arms and ammunitions were hidden by Maoists of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (ABSZC). Combing and area domination exercises have been intensified further in the region to recover more such Maoist hideouts, if any,” the DGP added.