Odisha Police Launches Nationwide Hunt For Weapons Looted By Maoists

Bhubaneswar: In a significant counter-insurgency initiative, the Odisha Police has intensified efforts to trace and recover hundreds of weapons allegedly looted by Maoists during attacks on security forces and police establishments over the past three decades.

The state’s Special Intelligence Wing (SIW) has written to the Directors General of Police of at least seven states, besides central security agencies including the Central Reserve Police Force and the Border Security Force, seeking assistance in tracking the missing firearms believed to be spread across multiple Maoist-affected regions of the country.

The move comes at a time when Odisha has significantly weakened Maoist activities through sustained security operations, surrender policies and rehabilitation programmes. With several cadres returning to the mainstream in recent years, authorities are now focusing on dismantling the remnants of Maoist infrastructure, including hidden arms caches.

According to official records, Maoists had allegedly looted around 650 weapons from various locations in Odisha during attacks carried out over the years. Of these, nearly 420 weapons have been traced so far, while security agencies are continuing efforts to recover the remaining 230 firearms.

The missing arsenal reportedly includes sophisticated weapons such as AK-47 assault rifles, Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), rifles and 9 mm Sten guns. Many of these firearms were allegedly looted during major Maoist strikes on police stations, armouries and CRPF camps in districts, including Rayagada and Nayagarh.

Security agencies suspect that some of the unrecovered weapons may have been transported to Maoist strongholds in neighbouring states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

Investigators are also examining whether surrendered Maoists from neighbouring states had used weapons looted from Odisha or relied on arms sourced from their respective regions.

Former Odisha Police officer Amaresh Panda said Odisha had long served as an operational corridor and safe zone for Maoist cadres active in eastern and central India since the 1990s.

“Over more than three decades, Maoists looted weapons from several districts of Odisha. Many of these arms were carefully concealed. Although a large number of cadres have surrendered, some have not yet returned to the mainstream. Recovering these weapons is essential for neutralising any residual Maoist network,” Panda said.

He added that information regarding hidden weapon stockpiles was usually known only to select cadre-level operatives and senior Maoist leaders, making recovery operations particularly challenging.