30% of looted explosives seized at J'khand-Odisha border: Cops
Bhubaneswar/Ranchi: Three days after Maoists hijacked a truck ferrying 4,000 kg of explosives from a stone quarry in Odisha's Sundargarh district bordering Jharkhand, about 30% of the stolen consignment was recovered from the Saranda forest area of Jharkhand on Friday, police in Bhubaneswar said.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The recovery was accomplished following inter-state joint efforts involving several agencies, including Odisha's elite Special Operation Group (SOG).
Police also said an exchange of fire broke out between security forces and Maoists in the Saranda forest in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, about 5 km from the Banko quarry in Sundargarh, where the explosives were looted around 10 pm on Tuesday.
"The search operation yielded stone-blasting materials.
While the exact quantity is being assessed, we estimate that we recovered at least 30% of the stolen explosives," a senior police officer told TOI.
Maoists also triggered an IED during the search operation, injuring a CoBRA constable identified as Sunil Kumar.
West Singhbhum SP Rakesh Ranjan said, "We are carrying out frequent operations in the Saranda forest area to recover all the looted explosives."
Officers said the recovered quantity could increase as search operations continue in the forest.
Police officers have not confirmed any Maoist casualty, though they suspect some cadres sustained gunshot injuries.
Partial recovery of the explosives has provided relief to security personnel, who are concerned about their potential misuse against forces. "Maoists could use the looted items to manufacture IEDs and target security personnel," Jharkhand's IG (operations), Michal S Raj, said.
Police officers said Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal launched extensive joint operations to prevent interstate movement of the stolen explosives.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
"Our coordinated search operations continue across the bordering states. Efforts are on to recover all the stolen explosives. Our primary concern is preventing any potential misuse of these materials against security forces," a senior police officer told TOI.
On Friday, police formed a special investigation team to investigate the case with support from the NIA. Initial investigation suggests the quarry operator failed to follow security protocols by not informing local police about the shipment's arrival. The area where Maoists struck is surrounded by forests, with no residential areas nearby.
The probe faces challenges as Maoists removed the digital video recorder, eliminating access to CCTV footage from the quarry site.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Notorious Woman Peddler Caught With MD In Late-Night Raid
Nagpur: Jaripatka police have arrested a notorious woman drug peddler, Preeti Gajbhiye, during a late-night raid on Thursday and seized 44.93gm of mephedrone (MD) from her residence in Lumbini Nagar. The contraband, which was kept in a ziplock bag hidden in a kitchen container, is estimated to have a street value of ₹89,860. Acting on a tip-off, a team of officers, led by inspector Arun Kshirsagar, conducted the raid at around 11:30pm. The operation was executed after surveillance teams confirmed suspicious activity around the accused's home. After recovering the contraband, police team put Gajbhiye under arrest. A case has been registered under sections 8(c) and 21(b) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Speaking to TOI, Kshirsagar confirmed that the accused is a history-sheeter. "Preeti Gajbhiye, aged 45, is not new to the police records. We had previously arrested her last year for possession of 10 to 12 gm of MD," he said. "Gajbhiye has been remanded in police custody for three days to enable thorough investigation," said the PI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gran oportunidad para inversionistas con $300,000 dólares Financiación Empresarial Más información Undo Kshirsagar added that further investigation is underway to determine the source of the drugs and whether Gajbhiye is part of a larger supply network operating in North Nagpur. The police are also checking her contacts and associates to uncover any links to other cases or suppliers. The raid was carried out under the supervision of DCP Niketan Kadam (Zone 5) and ACP Satyaveer Bandiwar (Jaripatka division). Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Vijay Mallya relates how he told Arun Jaitley he was flying to the UK before he left India
TOI correspondent from London: Fugitive liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya has told a podcast, in a rare interview, that he told the late former finance minister Arun Jaitley that he was about to fly out of India to London before he left for the airport in March 2016. At the time there was supposed to be a CBI lookout circular (LOC) issued against him. Mallya told 'Figuring Out with Raj Shamani' he was not aware of any LOC against him, nor that it had been downgraded by the CBI from detaining him to informing immigration of authorities of his travel plans. He told Shamani that certain TV anchors and the Indian govt want to see him in 'jail clothes, eating jail food' in Tihar and spending the rest of his life behind bars. 'If that is what is inevitable, what options do I have? It might be inevitable, I'm not an astrologer. I will fight my way in court.' He said: 'I told FM Arun Jaitley before leaving for the airport and then I flew from Delhi to London on the way to Geneva for a meeting which was fixed months ago. I told the then finance minister because I went from Parliament to Delhi airport. When this news hit the media, once again, it created a storm. People went running to Mr Jaitley. He denied meeting me. A Congress MP saw us and then said to the media 'No, I saw them together'. Mr Jaitley had to retract his statement and say 'Yes, yes I met him but only while walking — it was a fleeting meeting'.' 'I never said I went to Mr Jaitley's office, sat in front of him, had tea with him. All I said is I told the finance minister while leaving, I'm going to London and going to Geneva for a meeting, please tell the banks to sit across the table and settle with me. How long does this once sentencetake? You see the way he denied it, and then when a Congress MP pointed out his mistake that he saw us, he quickly changed.' He also said he had always planned to go back to India but his Indian passport was revoked. In the four-hour podcast Mallya also said he would be prepared to return to India. 'If I have the assurance of a fair trial and assurance of dignified existence in India, I will think about returning to India seriously. ' He then reminded Shamani of the judgment in the Sanjay Bhandari case which found 'Indian detention conditions a violation of Article 3 of the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights)', which may mean he could not be extradited now. When asked why he had not gone already as he had lost his extradition battle in the courts, the 69-year-old said: 'My stay in England is fully legitimate. There is more than the particular case you are referring to. There are ongoing proceedings in this country. It's one of the legal battles I am fighting,' he said. This suggests he may have applied for asylum.
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Another top Maoist with 45L bounty killed in encounter
Raipur: In yet another big blow to the Left Wing Extremism (LWE), another senior Maoist rank cadre — Bhaskar, who carried Rs 45 lakh bounty — was neutralized on Friday in an encounter that broke out in the same area where Maoists central committee member Sudhakar alias Tentu Lakshmi Narasimha Chalam was gunned down on Thursday in the forests of Bijapur. The encounter was part of the same anti-Maoist operation underway since Wednesday being carried out by personnel from the state police's Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and CoBRA. Intermittent firing between security forces and the Maoist ultras took place the whole day and after the guns fell silent, security forces recovered the body of 45-year-old Maoist Bhaskar, who carried a bounty of Rs 25 lakh in Chhattisgarh and Rs 20 lakh in Telangana. Bhaskar was a Special Zonal Committee member of Telangana State Committee and was reportedly operating in the dense forests of Indravati National Park — a known Maoist stronghold. Three days ago, TOI had reported that security forces in Bastar have precise information on the locations of nine top Maoist commanders in Bastar division, and an operation to eliminate them is imminent unless they surrender. Speaking to TOI, Bastar range inspector general of police P Sundarraj said, "As part of the ongoing anti-Naxal operation in the National Park area of Bijapur district, security forces have recovered the dead body of another male cadre. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Air conditioners without external unit. (click to see prices) Air Condition | Search Ads Search Now Undo Preliminary identification indicates that the recovered body is that of Bhaskar alias Mailarapu Adellu, a member of the Telangana State Committee." IG stated that an AK-47 rifle along with other explosives, weapons, and ammunition have been recovered from the encounter site. "Bhaskar, a resident of Adilabad district in Telangana, was the Secretary of the Mancherial-Komarambheem (MKB) division of the CPI (Maoist) outfit," the IG further said. In the same operation on June 5, security forces had recovered the body of Central Committee member Gautam alias Sudhakar along with an AK-47 rifle. The search operation in the area is still ongoing to trace other Maoist cadres in the nearby area. Detailed information regarding other Maoist casualties and recoveries will be shared after the operation concludes and full confirmation is received. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
