Overview
- Security teams unearthed the Lanka Pahadi dump during a focused search and de‑mining operation that sources report took place this week and produced a substantial arms cache.
- Officials said the recovered items include one SLR/LMG, one INSAS rifle, one .315‑bore gun, two barrel grenade launchers, 17 BGL shells, a Chinese hand grenade and dozens of rounds and magazines.
- The Lanka Pahadi find is the latest in a string of September recoveries in Bijapur, following dumps found on Sept 1, Sept 10, Sept 16 and Sept 20 that yielded rifles, explosives, detonators and other materiel.
- Authorities say the operation was intelligence‑led, all seized weapons have been catalogued and seized according to procedure, and ongoing investigations and legal action will follow.
- The repeated recoveries underline that hidden arsenals persist in Bastar forests despite the March declaration that the state was free of armed Maoist presence, raising the need for continued searches to protect local communities and prevent rearming.