Maoists in Dantewada adopt new ways to get detonators, explosives: Police

Police said the interrogation of four men arrested on Monday with 50 detonators revealed that the Maoists have adopted the new strategy to procure explosives and detonators from Telangana.

Published on: Sep 4, 2019, 15:56:19 IST

Hindustan Times, Raipur | By Ritesh Mishra

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Police in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district have claimed that CPI (Maoist) foot soldiers are going to Telangana to work in stone quarries from where they bring detonators and explosives for the left wing extremists when they return.

Some of detonators seized by Dantewada Police on Monday. (HT PHOTO)

Police claimed that the interrogation of four persons who were arrested on Monday evening with 50 detonators, revealed that the Maoists have adopted this modus operandi for the past one year. The detonators are used to trigger improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“The new modus operandi was discovered after the arrest of these four accused. Maoist militias are going to Telangana to work in stone crushers and buy detonators and give them to Maoist commanders in Dantewada area,” said Dantewada’s superintendent of police (SP) Abhishek Pallava.

The SP further said that the interrogation is still on are police trying to arrest another person who had delivered 50 detonators in February this year.

“This is now common and successful modus operandi for smuggling small quantities of explosives and detonators,” said the SP.

According to Chhattisgarh police records, more than 300 IEDs are detected every year in the Maoist stronghold of Bastar and on an average about 70 IED blasts take place every year.

“In last nine years from 2010 to 2019, 153 police personnel and 53 civilian were killed in IED blasts in Bastar region. A total of 493 blasts took place in Bastar. The IEDs are the latest weapons of Maoists through which they are damaging the security forces,” said Sunderraj P, deputy inspector general of police (DIG), anti-Naxal operations.

An assembly bypoll is scheduled in Dantewada on September 23. There are 1,88,263 voters in the constituency out of which 89,747 are male voters and 98,876 are female voters. There are 273 polling centres in the constituency.

In 2018, assembly election, Bheema Mandavi of the BJP defeated Congress leader Devati Karma by a narrow margin.

On April 9, two days before the parliamentary elections in Bastar, Bhima Mandavi, and four other accompanying him were killed when Maoists blew up his convoy with IEDs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ritesh Mishra
Ritesh Mishra is the State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh with Hindustan Times. He reports on Maoism, internal security, politics, mining, governance, and major developments shaping the state. Based in Raipur, he has covered Chhattisgarh since 2016, reporting extensively from the Bastar region and other conflict-affected areas. With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, Ritesh has built a reputation for ground reporting from some of India's most challenging terrains. His coverage spans Left-Wing Extremism, counter-insurgency operations, elections, tribal affairs, environmental issues, infrastructure, mining, and socio-economic developments. He has reported on major security operations, policy initiatives, wildlife crime, and the changing dynamics of conflict and development in Central India. Before moving to Chhattisgarh, Ritesh spent eight years reporting from Madhya Pradesh, covering politics, administration, crime, development, and social issues. Throughout his career, he has reported on various forms of extremism in Central India, combining field reporting with in-depth analysis to produce accurate, balanced, and impactful journalism. Prior to joining Hindustan Times, Ritesh worked with The Pioneer and The Free Press Journal, where he covered a wide range of beats and honed his skills in political, investigative, and field reporting. His reporting is marked by exclusive stories, extensive fieldwork, and a commitment to factual, on-the-ground journalism that brings complex issues to a wider audience.Read More

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