Security forces in India’s Chhattisgarh state delivered a major setback to Maoist insurgents by busting a hidden weapons factory in Sukma district. The raid targeted a secret operation run by the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), highlighting ongoing counter-insurgency efforts in the Maoist-hit region.
On September 26, teams from the Sukma District Force and the elite 203rd battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA)—a specialized unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)—launched the mission. They acted on solid intelligence tips and started their search from the Mettaguda police camp. The forces pushed deep into the thick forests around Erapalli and Koimenta villages, where they discovered the underground Maoist arms hub nestled in the hilly terrain near Koimenta.
Once they found it, the team quickly destroyed the factory and grabbed a huge haul of weapons, ammunition, and explosives. Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan called it a game-changer. “This is a huge win for us,” Chavan said. “The Maoists were making weapons and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to target our personnel. We’ve stopped a serious threat, and we’ll keep ramping up these operations.”
Among the seized items were a vertical milling machine, two barrel grenade launchers (BGLs), 94 BGL heads, 12 empty BGL shells, three bench vices, a hand grinder, six wooden rifle butts, three directional IED pipes, four solar batteries, 80 steel pipe pieces for BGLs, plus loads of gas cutter heads, molding pots, iron cutter wheels, and scrap metal. The setup looked almost like a small industrial site, with solar power and high-tech milling tools showing how the Maoists are stepping up their game to keep fighting long-term. They even had trigger mechanisms and drilling bits for more advanced explosives.
This bust comes as security forces intensify their crackdown in the Bastar division, a Maoist stronghold. So far in 2025, they’ve taken out 249 Maoists in encounters across Chhattisgarh, including 220 in Bastar alone. The operation not only knocked out a key Maoist supply line but also boosts confidence in the government’s push for peace and stability in these troubled areas.
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