Overview
- A joint team of Jharkhand Police and the CRPF’s 209 CoBRA Battalion exchanged fire with Maoists for about 45 minutes on Thursday evening in the Kulapu Buru area of West Singhbhum.
- Insurgents withdrew into dense terrain, and subsequent searches recovered two SLRs, one .303 rifle, and hundreds of cartridges across multiple calibres.
- Explosives seized included roughly 16.68 kg of gelatin, 13 IEDs fitted with detonators, and additional electric and non-electric detonators, along with plastic piping and syringes used in IED fabrication.
- Communications and electronic gear such as radio sets, interceptors, laptops, and FM radios were recovered, indicating organized coordination capabilities.
- Authorities reported no security force casualties, launched expanded combing operations, and estimate 60–65 militants remain in Saranda where thousands of IEDs are believed to be planted; unofficial reports of a Maoist fatality remain unconfirmed.