Bhubaneswar: More than three tonnes (over 75 percent) of looted explosives were recovered on Friday following an exchange of fire between security personnel and Naxalite insurgents in the border region of Jharkhand. The explosives were earlier looted from the Sundargarh district in Odisha.
According to sources, the Naxalites, who are known for their armed rebellion against the government, engaged in an exchange of gunfire with the security personnel. These clashes underscore ongoing tensions in the region.
The fierce gunfight erupted in a forest around 20 kilometres inside the neighbouring state. Combing operations were simultaneously started from both Odisha and Jharkhand sides.
The exchange of fire between security personnel and Naxals was underway when this report was filed. No comments were received from the district administration or the anti-Naxal team in this regard.
The Naxal movement, rooted in Maoist ideology, has been active across various parts of the country, with Odisha being one of the severely affected areas. Security forces continue to be on high alert to combat these rebels and protect local communities.
Worth mentioning, a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was entrusted to probe the high-profile explosive loot by Maoists in Sundargarh district, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up earlier in the day to investigate the matter.
The team, which will be headed by an Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), includes four members, confirmed Rourkela Superintendent of Police (SP), Nitesh Wadhwani.
On Tuesday, Maoist insurgents had hijacked a truck loaded with a huge cache of commercial explosives. According to preliminary findings, the truck carrying the explosives was en route to a stone quarry in Banko locality when it was intercepted and looted in a forest.
As per reports, the insurgents had decamped with around four tonnes of explosive materials at a place under K. Balang police limits in Sundargarh district.
At least eight armed Naxals allegedly stopped the vehicle and drove it about a kilometre into the forest, where they were joined by a larger group of about 40 others. The packets were then swiftly unloaded and carried off into the dense forest.
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