Security forces uncovered a huge stockpile of explosives during a coordinated search operation conducted on Sunday evening near the border areas of Toklo Police Station in West Singhbhum and Kuchai Police Station in Saraikela-Kharsawan districts of Jharkhand.
Police officials said the operation was launched following a tip-off suggesting that a large quantity of ammunition had been stashed in the forest to target security forces.
A joint task force comprising Jharkhand Police, the Jharkhand Jaguar unit, and the 60th Battalion of the CRPF was deployed to sweep the region.
“In the densely forested hilly terrain, the team discovered 14 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), each weighing approximately two kilograms,” stated a communique from the state police headquarters.
In addition, authorities recovered locally made grenades, ammonium nitrate, firecracker powder, and several steel containers.
For safety reasons, the bomb disposal unit defused all the IEDs and destroyed the recovered materials at the site, the statement added.
Maoist presence in Jharkhand has now largely been confined to the Saranda forests, as security forces have eliminated their presence from most other regions of the state.
Current intelligence suggests that around 85 to 90 Maoist operatives are still hiding in the Saranda area, where they have reportedly laid thousands of IEDs, posing a significant threat to advancing troops.
Despite the hazards, security forces are continuing their advance into Maoist-controlled zones with caution and persistence, having already set up multiple temporary camps deep within the territory.
The state police began a special joint offensive in the Kolhan forest region in November 2022, after receiving intelligence that senior Maoist leaders — such as Misir Besra and Patiram Majhi, also known as Anal Da — were taking refuge in this strategically vital stretch of forest.
Follow us
