Bhubaneswar: In a major success in the battle against Left Wing Extremism (LWE), security forces have apprehended a hardcore Maoist and seized a cache of arms and ammunition, including a sophisticated AK-47 rifle, in Odisha’s Koraput district.
The Maoist, identified as Kunjam Hidma of Bijepur area of Chhattisgarh, was caught inside the dense Petaguda forest under the Baipariguda police limits in the district, police said.
Based on intelligence inputs regarding the movement of a group of banned CPI (Maoist) cadres in the forest area near Petguda, a special operation was launched by District Voluntary Force (DVF), a special constabulary unit of the Odisha Police.
The DVF team noticed a group of Maoists camping at the hill and moved to surround it. On being alerted, the ultras opened fire at the DVF team and fled into the jungle. In response, the team exercised controlled fire in self-defence. During the subsequent search, one Maoist cadre was apprehended while attempting to hide in the nearby bushes while other managed to run away.
The special operation team also recovered an AK-47 rifle, 35 rounds of ammunition, 37 electric detonators, gun powder, besides other incriminating articles.
Hidma, who was an Area Committee Member (ACM) of the banned outfit, has been linked to seven major violent incidents in the region including Odisha. His capture is seen as a major success in reducing Maoist influence in Odisha.
