Odisha cops seize 9 tonnes of explosives, 4,000 detonators from Kandhamal forests

Police said 70 Maoists have been spotted around Kandhamal, Boudh, Kalahandi and Bargahr districts with some members of central committee in the last few months

Published on: Aug 19, 2025, 03:00:09 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha police on Monday said they have seized around 9 tonnes of explosives, including gelatin sticks, and 4,000 detonators from the forests of Kandhamal district, an area known to be Maoist hotbed.

“Our personnel have seized around 9 tonnes of explosives and 4,000 detonators from Tumudibandha area in Kandhamal. We have detained two persons for interrogation in this connection. Security personnel had earlier found 600 detonators from a Maoist dump in Kandhamal last month. The detonators seized from both places were of same brand,” said Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) in Odisha, Sanjeeb Panda.

Police said 70 Maoists have been spotted around Kandhamal, Boudh, Kalahandi and Bargahr districts with some members of central committee in the last few months. In Kandhamal area alone, around 20 Maoists are active.

The ADG said the police suspect that the explosives and detonators meant for mining activities were being illegally supplied to Maoists. “We have launched an investigation to find out the source and destination of the seized explosives,” he said.

“The explosives were stored illegally in Tumudibandha area. Our officials are looking into all these issues,” said Panda.

Security personnel found similar explosives from a Maoist dump in Gumma Reserve Forest in Kadhamal around a month ago.

Maoists from neighbouring Jharkhand had stolen huge quantity of explosives from a stone quarry in Sundargarh district a couple of months ago of which only 80 % could be recovered from Saranda forest during combing operations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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