West Bengal Police have recovered a substantial cache of firearms and ammunition from an abandoned Maoist camp in Purulia district, situated close to the Jharkhand border, officials confirmed on Tuesday, 13 October 2026. The recovery, made during a targeted raid in the Duarsini area under Bandoan police station, follows the recent surrender of several senior Maoist cadres whose interrogation yielded the critical intelligence.

How the Recovery Was Made

Purulia Superintendent of Police Kumar Sunny Raj told reporters that the breakthrough came directly from information provided by recently surrendered Maoist operatives. 'Recently, top Maoist leaders like Madan, Ravi and Mira have surrendered to the police. Several members of the organisation have laid down their weapons,' Raj said. 'Based on the information received from them, a raid was conducted at a house in the Duarsini area under Bandoan police station in Purulia, which is close to the Jharkhand border. A bag full of firearms and ammunition was recovered there,' he added.

Joint Operations Behind the Push

The Purulia find is part of a broader, coordinated security drive. In August and September this year, the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police, Bankura district police, and the Jharkhand Police conducted joint raids and search operations, reportedly achieving significant results. According to officials, anti-Maoist operations have been intensified in close coordination with Jharkhand counterparts, reflecting a shift toward cross-border tactical collaboration.

Recent Milestones in the Anti-Maoist Campaign

The Maoist movement in the region has reportedly weakened considerably following sustained security pressure. In January last year, 15 Maoists were killed during a major operation by the Jharkhand Police. West Bengal's campaign recorded another significant development last month when the Kolkata Police STF arrested senior CPI (Maoist) leader Asim Mandal, also known by aliases Akash, Timir, and Manoj, during an early morning operation in Patashpur, East Midnapore district. Mandal had been among the most wanted Maoist operatives active across West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha, with a combined bounty of ₹2.20 crore announced for information leading to his capture — ₹1 crore offered by the Jharkhand government and ₹1.20 crore by the Odisha government.

Suspicion of More Hidden Caches

The Duarsini recovery has, however, raised fresh concerns among investigators. 'The police also suspect that Maoists have hidden firearms in some other secret places. Such operations will continue in the coming days as well,' a state police officer said. The possibility of additional concealed arms dumps in the border belt means security forces are unlikely to scale down their search operations anytime soon. Notably, the pattern of abandoned camps with stockpiled weapons is consistent with an organisation in strategic retreat rather than full dissolution.

What Comes Next

The latest find is expected to prompt an intensified sweep of suspected Maoist arms caches across the Purulia–Jharkhand border corridor. With multiple senior leaders having surrendered and at least one top operative arrested last month, security agencies appear to be capitalising on a window of organisational disruption. How many more caches remain hidden — and whether the network retains the capacity to rearm — will determine whether the region's decade-long security challenge is approaching a decisive turning point.