Cache of arms, ammunition seized in 5-day operation: Chhattisgarh Police
This is the first time that a Trichy Assault Rifle has been seized from Maoists in the Bastar range that comprises seven Chhattisgarh districts, said IGP, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P
BASTAR: A Trichy Assault Rifle (TAR), an indigenous Indian assault rifle developed by the Ordnance Factory in Tiruchirappalli, was among the cache of arms, ammunition seized by security forces following gunfights with Maoists in Abujhmad forest of Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, police said on Friday.
This is the first time that the Trichy Assault Rifle has been seized from Maoists in the Bastar range that comprises seven Chhattisgarh districts, said Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P.
“The weapon is used by security personnel deployed in the region,” he added.
The senior police officer said the firearm might have been looted from security forces in the past, and efforts were underway to trace it through database verification.
Police said a joint team of security personnel launched an operation on August 24 in the forests of Kasod, Kumuradi, Madoda, Khodpar and Gattakal villages of Abujhmad following a tip, a senior police officer said.
Personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and 38th, 41st and 45th battalions of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were part of the operation.
Multiple exchanges of fire took place during the five-day-long exercise, including a major encounter with Maoists of the Maad division on a forested hill under the Kohkameta police station area, he said.
Police said security forces seized more than 300 items from the encounter sites, including one Light Machine Gun (LMG), one TAR, one Self Loading Rifle (SLR), one Insas rifle, one sten gun, one 51mm mortar, one 9mm pistol, one country-made pistol, eight Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs), three .303 rifles, four 12 bore rifles, 49 muzzle loading guns, 10 live rounds of .315 bore rifle, 23 BGL shells (big size), 63 BGL shells (medium size), 14 BGL shells (small size), eight country-made grenades, one hand grenade, cordex wires, 141 bundles of safety fuse, GPS devices, detonators, remote switches, ammunition, explosives and Maoist literature, he said.
Several Maoists may have sustained injuries in the gunfights, police said.
The operation, which was carried out despite incessant rains and swollen rivers, has dealt heavy psychological and strategic setbacks to Maoists, he said.
“This has sent a clear message that no part of Abujhmad is safe for them anymore, as their hideouts are shrinking rapidly,” the IG said.
