Security forces recover cache of arms, ammunition during anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh

Narayanpur, Aug 29 (PTI) Security forces have seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition and other Maoist-related materials following encounters with Naxalites in the Abujhmad forest of Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, police said on Friday.

For the first time, a Trichy Assault Rifle (TAR), an Indian made firearm, has been recovered from Maoists in the Bastar region, they said.

Acting on inputs about the presence of senior cadres, a joint team of security personnel had launched an anti-Naxal operation on August 24 in the forests of Kasod, Kumuradi, Madoda, Khodpar and Gattakal villages of Abujhmad, a senior police official said.

He said that personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) — both units of state police — and 38th, 41st and 45th battalions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were involved in the operation.

The official said multiple gunfights took place between security personnel and Naxalites in the area during the five-day-long operation.

Security forces were engaged in an encounter with members of the Maad division of Maoists on a forested hill under the Kohkameta police station area, he said.

The official said they recovered more than 300 items, including a light machine gun (LMG), Trichy assault rifle (TAR), self-loading rifle (SLR), Insas rifle, a stun gun, a 51mm mortar, a 9mm pistol, a country-made pistol, eight barrel grenade launchers (BGLs), three .303 rifles, four 12-bore rifles, 49 muzzle-loading guns, 10 bullets of .315 bore rifle, 100 BGL shells of different sizes, eight country-made grenades, a hand grenade, two bundles of cordex wire, 141 bundles of safety fuse, GPS devices, detonators, remote switches, ammunitions, explosive materials and other Maoist related items.

Blood stains and drag marks found at encounter sites indicate that several Naxalites might have sustained injuries in the gunfights, he said.

"The Trichy Assault Rifle was recovered from the Maoists for the first time in the Bastar range (comprising seven districts). The weapon is used by security personnel deployed in the region," Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P said.

He said the weapon might have been looted from security forces in the past, and efforts are underway to trace its source through database verification.

The operation carried out by security forces in the Abujhmad, despite incessant rains and swollen rivers, has inflicted heavy psychological and strategic setbacks on Maoists, the IG said.

The operation has sent a clear message to the Maoists that no part of Abujhmad is safe for them anymore, as their hideouts are shrinking rapidly, he added.

The senior official said the top leadership of the outlawed Maoist organisation suffered heavy losses in 2025 due to intensified operations by security forces. The banned outfit has no option left but to shun violence and surrender. PTI COR TKP ARU