Sukma/Bijapur: Security forces claimed to have achieved a breakthrough during the anti-Naxal operation in the area connecting Chhattisgarh's Sukma and Bijapur districts. A tunnel was unearthed by the District Reserve Guards (DRG) soldiers which was allegedly built by the Naxalites to set up a weapons factory.
Weapons Factory In Tunnel
Officials said that the hideout was found on the banks of the Tumrel and Talperu rivers and had a big room used for manufacturing guns and explosives. “The DRG soldiers found several types of lathe machines installed inside the room as weapons were being made by these machines,” they said.
“Soldiers found guns and explosives, including bottle bombs inside the tunnel, and recovered raw materials used to make weapons. The forces have been getting tipoffs for a long time that bombs were being made in glass bottles,” officials said.
Desi BGL And Iron Cartridges Found
The initial probe revealed that Naxalites were making ‘Desi’ barrel grenade launchers (BGLs) and iron cartridges in the factory. This is not the first time that a Naxalite factory has been found in the forest. Earlier also, the police recovered a lathe machine installed by the Naxalites from inside the forest. Recently, ETV Bharat also reported about the recovery of iron cartridges and BGL cells from an encounter site.
Recent Naxal Activities In Bijapur
On January 6, eight DRG personnel and a driver were killed in Kutru when their vehicle hit an IED planted by the Naxals.
Security forces killed five hardcore Naxals, including two women, during a fierce encounter at Bandepara Koranjed on January 12. Police also recovered arms and ammunition from the site.