Bhubaneswar: In a significant breakthrough in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism, personnel of the 209 COBRA Battalion have destroyed three Maoist bunkers during an intensive anti-insurgency operation in the dense Saranda forest along the Odisha–Jharkhand border.Officials said the operation, launched on the basis of precise intelligence inputs, targeted suspected Maoist hideouts in one of the most inaccessible terrains of the region. The Saranda forest, stretching across state boundaries, has long been regarded as a strategic bastion for Maoist cadres, offering them natural cover and logistical advantages.The three bunkers, hidden deep within thick vegetation, were believed to have been used as shelter and storage facilities for arms, explosives, and other operational supplies. Acting on tip-offs, the COBRA team advanced cautiously into the forest, surrounding the suspected sites before dismantling the structures.From the bunkers, security forces recovered a cache of Maoist materials including electrical wires, batteries, black flags, uniforms, tiffin boxes, and other logistical items, police in Chaibasa confirmed. The seizure, officials said, points to the bunkers’ role in sustaining insurgent activities in the area.Authorities have described the bust as a “substantial blow” to the Maoists’ operational network, disrupting their capacity to regroup or stage attacks in the near future. Combing operations in the region have been intensified to track down residual cadres and destroy any remaining hideouts before they can be reactivated.The crackdown comes just days after a brutal incident underscoring the continued Maoist threat in the region — a railway employee was killed and another critically injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists between Karampada in Jharkhand and Renjeda in Odisha last Sunday morning.Security officials emphasise that while the recent operation has weakened Maoist infrastructure in Saranda, sustained pressure and coordinated efforts between Odisha and Jharkhand police will be crucial to ensuring the insurgents cannot re-establish their foothold.
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