Looted arms from Koraput recovered in Gosama hill

Berhampur, Feb 28 (UNI) CRPF jawans today recovered some arms and ammunition from Gosama hills, which were looted by the armed Naxalites from Koraput in the year 2004, along with some looted from Nayagarh on February 15 last.

The CRPF jawans searched the Gosama hills, bordering Ganjam district, for the 13th day today and recovered the arms including 16 Three-not-Three rifles, two Muskat rifles, two Thomson Sub Machine Guns (.45-mm), one point 38 revolver, an anti-riot gun, seven bynots, nine burnt 303 rifles, 401 live cartridges (7.62), 583 live cartridges of AK-47 rifles and 91 live cartridges of 303 rifles and nine-mm revolver.

The Security Personnel, presently engaged in the combing operation to nab the Naxalites involved in the February 15 Nayagarh mayhem, had earlier on four occasions recovered almost 80 per cent of the arms and 75 per cent ammunition looted by the Naxalites killing 15 police personnel and a civilian.

On February 6, 2004, hundreds of armed Naxalites raided the Korapout town, attacked as many as seven police stations and looted the district armoury.

At least four police personnel were killed in the encounter with the Naxalites.

Four years later, about 500 Naxalites had seized the small Nayagarh town located about 90 kms from state capital Bhubaneswar, attacked four Police Stations and looted arms and ammunition from the District Armoury and also Armoury of the Police Training School.

The two-hour long operation of the Naxalites took the small police force present at the town aback in which 15 police personnel lost their lives.

Since then the security forces, comprising hundreds of Greyhound, CRPF, Special Operation Group and the Orissa State Armed Police, are engaged in the country's biggest search operation against the fleeing Naxalites on the borders of Ganjam and Kandhmal.

However, except picking up few suspected Naxalites, the security forces have not yet been able to track down the Naxalites involved in the Nayagarh attack.

UNI XC DP SG RAI2342