Arms cache recovered in Gaya forest near Jharkhand border
Synopsis
A buried arms cache — including a 9 mm carbine, two pistols, a country-made rifle, a walkie-talkie, and 92 rounds of ammunition — has been unearthed in a dense forest on the Bihar-Jharkhand border in Gaya, a district with a documented Naxal history. Investigators are now racing to identify who placed the weapons there and why.
Key Takeaways
SSB and Bihar Police jointly recovered a buried arms cache from Gaya district 's forests near the Jharkhand border on 7 October 2026 .
Items seized include a 9 mm carbine with two magazines, a country-made muzzle-loading rifle , two pistols, and a 5-watt walkie-talkie .
Ammunition recovered: 79 rounds of 9 mm and 13 rounds of 7.62 mm .
The operation was led by SSB Deputy Commandant Ravi Bhushan in the Dhangai police station area.
Gaya is a documented Naxal-affected district; the border forest belt has previously been used as a transit corridor by banned extremist operatives.
Investigators are working to identify those who buried the cache and determine its intended use.
A joint operation by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Bihar Police on Wednesday, 7 October 2026 led to the recovery of a cache of weapons and ammunition allegedly buried underground in a dense forest along the Bihar-Jharkhand border in Gaya district. The operation, launched early morning on intelligence inputs, has prompted heightened surveillance across the forested border belt.
How the Operation Unfolded
Acting on specific intelligence about concealed weapons, security personnel launched the search in the Dhangai police station area, near the route connecting Tiletad and Hisir. The operation was led by SSB Deputy Commandant Ravi Bhushan, with Dhangai SHO Shravan Ram and SSB Assistant Commandant Sanoj Kumar of the 29th Battalion's Dhangai Camp playing key roles, according to officials.
Personnel detected suspicious material buried underground and, after excavating the site, recovered weapons and ammunition wrapped in plastic and concealed inside a pit.
What Was Recovered
The arms haul includes a 9 mm carbine with two magazines, a country-made muzzle-loading rifle, a country-made pistol, and another pistol with two magazines. A 5-watt walkie-talkie was also seized. The ammunition cache comprised 79 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and 13 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.
The Naxal Context
Gaya has long been regarded as one of Bihar's Naxal-affected districts, with multiple operatives of banned extremist outfits arrested in the region in past years. The forested areas around Dhangai, Barachatti, Banke Bazar, and Sherghati in Gaya district extend towards the Jharkhand border and have previously been identified as corridors used by Naxal operatives to move between the two states. This is not the first time weapons have been unearthed in this belt, and security agencies regard the latest recovery as consistent with a broader pattern of arms smuggling and caching in the region.
Investigation Under Way
Police are now probing who buried the weapons, how they were transported to the forest, and what their intended use was. Investigators are also working to identify any individuals or groups linked to the cache. Following the recovery, security forces launched an extended search of the surrounding forest area to determine whether additional weapons or material had been concealed nearby. The recovery has prompted heightened surveillance across the forested border zone as agencies continue their investigation.
Point of View
But the more important question is what it reveals about the state of Naxal logistics in Bihar. The Dhangai-Barachatti-Sherghati belt has featured repeatedly in security briefings as a live transit corridor, yet arms continue to be cached there — suggesting intelligence gaps persist despite periodic successes. The inclusion of a walkie-talkie alongside firearms points to operational intent, not mere storage. Security agencies should be asked whether this cache was newly placed or had been sitting undetected for months, because the answer has direct implications for how porous the border forest remains.
NationPress
8 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What weapons were recovered in the Gaya forest operation?
Security forces recovered a 9 mm carbine with two magazines, a country-made muzzle-loading rifle, a country-made pistol, another pistol with two magazines, and a 5-watt walkie-talkie. The ammunition cache comprised 79 rounds of 9 mm and 13 rounds of 7.62 mm.
Who conducted the arms recovery operation in Gaya?
The operation was a joint effort by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Bihar Police, led by SSB Deputy Commandant Ravi Bhushan. Dhangai SHO Shravan Ram and SSB Assistant Commandant Sanoj Kumar of the 29th Battalion's Dhangai Camp also played key roles.
Where exactly was the arms cache found?
The cache was found buried underground in a dense forest in the Dhangai police station area of Gaya district, near the route connecting Tiletad and Hisir along the Bihar-Jharkhand border.
Is the Gaya district area known for Naxal activity?
Yes. Gaya is one of Bihar's documented Naxal-affected districts. The forested areas around Dhangai, Barachatti, Banke Bazar, and Sherghati have previously been identified as transit corridors used by operatives of banned extremist outfits moving between Bihar and Jharkhand.
What happens next after the arms recovery?
Police are investigating who buried the weapons, how they were transported to the site, and what their intended use was. Security forces have also launched extended searches of the surrounding forest, and heightened surveillance has been put in place across the border zone.
