Cash, explosives seized from Naxalite hideouts in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: Explosives and Rs 38 lakh in cash have been seized from two Naxalite hideouts along the border of Gariaband and Dhamtari districts in Chhattisgarh, police said on Tuesday.

A search operation was launched on August 10 after police received information that Naxalites had collected so-called levy from local business owners and stored the cash in two separate places, an official said.

A joint squad of police from the two districts and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) unearthed `dumps’ of materials used by Naxalites in the forests of Chhote Gobra and Pendra villages on Monday, he said.

A total of Rs 38 lakh in cash, 23 rounds of Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL), two `tiffin bombs’ and materials used in Improvised Explosive Devices including 13 detonators, fuse wire, two kgs of explosive powder, two flash lights, sensor remotes and electric wire besides Maoist uniforms were recovered, the official said.

Preliminary investigation suggested these stores belonged to Dhamtari-Gariaband-Nuapada division under the Odisha state committee of the Maoists, he said, adding that further investigation was underway.