Bhubaneswar: The state police have sought assistance from their counterparts in seven states — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal — to recover weapons looted by Maoists in 1992 and 2001 from Odisha, many of which were later seized in various operations by those states.Between 1992 and 2022, Maoists carried out multiple attacks on security establishments in Odisha, stealing a total of 1,540 weapons, including light machine guns, self-loading rifles (SLRs), .303, AK-47 and Insas rifles, sten guns, carbines, pistols and revolvers. So far, Odisha police have managed to retrieve about 975 of these weapons, with at least 230 recovered from outside the state.“We have learned that 29 weapons stolen from Malkangiri district in 1992 and 2001 were later seized in different states. Detailed specifications of these arms have been shared with police in seven states as well as CRPF and BSF. We have requested them to verify seized weapons and facilitate their return,” said ADG (anti-Naxal operations) Sanjeeb Panda.Akhileshvar Singh, DIG (special intelligence wing), is coordinating with other states and paramilitary units to expedite the recovery.The Maoists had attacked Chitrakonda police station in Malkangiri on March 17, 1992, and Kalimela police station in the same district on Aug 10, 2001. While many of these weapons have since been recovered, 29 — 18 .303, two self-loading and three AK-47 assault rifles, three 9mm sten guns, one 51mm mortar, one VLP signal pistol and one 1.5CP riot gun — remain missing.“After eliminating Naxals by March 31, our prime focus now is to ensure that all remaining looted arms are traced back to Odisha. We are confident of achieving this target soon. The Union ministry of home affairs has prioritised the backtracking of these weapons,” Panda said.Following directives from Union home minister Amit Shah, states have been asked to compile databases of looted and recovered arms, and share information to help identify and return the weapons to their rightful state. Each police weapon carries a unique body and butt number, enabling precise identification.Officials said that recovery is critical to prevent misuse and block any possibility of Left-Wing Extremism revival. Police also suspect Maoists may have hidden arms underground in forested areas, and search operations are underway to locate them.
