Sony camera, arms and ammunition recovered after encounter with Maoists

The recovery was made after a brief exchange of fire between Maoists and teams of the Special Operation Group and Odisha’s District Voluntary Force in Malkangiri district.

Published on: Jun 16, 2021, 13:58:09 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Five days after a Maoist, carrying ₹5 lakh reward on his head, was killed during an encounter with Odisha Police in Bargarh district, the security officials on Tuesday seized an INSAS rifle, a Sony camera, several magazines of INSAS and AK-47 rifles from the forests of Malkangiri district.

Teams of SOG and DVF in Malkangiri district were combing the jungle area in bordering areas of Malkangiri and Koraput district when they came under unprovoked firing from Maoists. (Sourced Photo)

Police officials said the recovery was made after a brief exchange of fire between Maoists and teams of the Special Operation Group (SOG) and the District Voluntary Force (DVF) during a combing operation near Kulabeda forests of Mathili in bordering areas of Malkangiri and Koraput district.

Inspector general of police (IGP) (anti-Maoist operations) Amitabh Thakur said the special forces retaliated after facing unprovoked firing from the outlawed insurgents. “But the Maoists managed to run from that area,” he said.

After the encounter, the police teams recovered an INSAS rifle, 34 rounds of bullets, a AK-47 magazine, 2 INSAS magazines, detonators, power bank, batteries and other IED (improvised explosive devices) making material along with a Sony digital camera.

On June 12, BSF and Odisha Police in Malkangiri district had a lucky escape when they found 3 Tiffin IEDs and explosives in the general area of Mandapalli in Swabhimaan Anchal on Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border. The Swabhiman Anchal, formerly known as the cut-off area, has long been a stronghold of the left-wing extremists. The region is covered by water from three sides and inhospitable terrain on the fourth side.

A day earlier on Friday, police killed Rabindra, a member of Bolangir-Bargarh-Mahasamund (BBM) divisional committee of the Maoists during an encounter at Jhanj Reserve Forest in Bargarh district. He had ₹5 lakh reward on his head.

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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