What Happened in Chhattisgarh: Five Maoists Arrested with Explosives in Sukma?

Sukma, Aug 1 (NationPress) In a major achievement for anti-Naxal initiatives in Chhattisgarh, security forces apprehended five active members of the banned CPI (Maoist) and seized a stockpile of explosives during a well-coordinated operation in Sukma district.

Relying on intelligence from a local informant, a joint task force comprising officers from the Chhattisgarh Police, the 74th and 226th Battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and headed by the Station House Officer (SHO) of Jagargunda police station, initiated a search operation in the dense foliage near Achakat village on Thursday, as reported by police officials.

Officials stated that the suspects tried to escape upon noticing the security personnel but were quickly apprehended. The detained suspects are identified as Hemla Pala (35), Hemla Hunga (35), Sodi Deva (25), Nuppo (20), and Kunjam Masa (28), all hailing from the Chintalnar region and believed to be active in the Surpanguda area as part of the Jagargunda-Pamed area committee.

Among the items confiscated were two homemade barrel grenade launchers (BGL) shells, a tiffin bomb, seven gelatin rods, nine detonators, explosive powder, and various materials employed in crafting improvised explosive devices (IEDs). These arrests signify a considerable achievement in the ongoing counter-insurgency efforts in Sukma, an area long plagued by Maoist violence.

The operation highlights the heightened efforts of security forces to dismantle militant networks and safeguard civilians in the Bastar region.

Further questioning and investigations are currently ongoing to gauge the suspects' roles in past attacks and to trace the origin of the confiscated explosives.

In a related incident, a Maoist insurgent was killed, and three District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel were injured during a fierce confrontation between security forces and Naxalites in the forested area along the Sukma-Dantewada border on Tuesday.

Notably, three days prior, a collaborative team from the Special Task Force (STF), DRG, and CRPF commenced a search operation based on intelligence regarding Maoist activity in the vicinity. This operation, which launched on Monday, resulted in multiple exchanges of gunfire throughout July 29.

During the combing maneuver, security forces discovered the body of a uniformed Maoist along with a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and bomb-making supplies. Items recovered from the site included bullets, IED components, and other tactical materials used in insurgent operations.

Regrettably, three DRG jawans sustained injuries when a pressure-triggered IED, planted by Maoists, exploded during the operation. All injured personnel were swiftly evacuated and taken to higher medical facilities.

According to attending medical professionals, their condition is stable and they are no longer in danger. This encounter contributes to the increasing number of successful anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh, where over 225 Maoists have been neutralized this year.