A fresh security concern has emerged in Bengal’s former Maoist stronghold of Purulia after police recovered a cache of firearms and ammunition concealed in the dense forests of Bandwan, close to the Jharkhand border. The recovery, made just ahead of the Durga Puja festivities, has prompted security agencies to intensify surveillance across the region, once a hotbed of Left-wing extremism.

Acting on information obtained during the interrogation of three surrendered Maoists, a joint team comprising the Purulia District Police, Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a search operation in the forested areas under Bandwan Police Station.

The operation led to the recovery of three .315 rifles, a .38 revolver and 36 rounds of ammunition from a concealed bag. According to police, all four firearms were found to be in working condition.

Surrendered Maoists provide crucial intelligence

Police sources said the breakthrough followed the interrogation of three former Maoists—Madan Mahato, alias Shankar; Sagar Singh; and Mira Paharia, alias Meena—who had recently surrendered before the Purulia District Police.

Information obtained during their questioning, coupled with intelligence gathered from confidential sources, led investigators to suspect that firearms and ammunition had been hidden in the forested belt along the Bengal-Jharkhand border.

Acting on these leads, security personnel conducted an extensive search using metal detectors. During the operation, they located a bag concealed near the ground, containing the weapons and ammunition.

Investigators are now attempting to establish when the firearms were hidden, who was responsible for concealing them and whether the cache was intended for future Maoist operations.

Police probe Maoist links

Although the recovered firearms have raised concerns about the possible existence of dormant Maoist networks in the region, investigators have yet to establish whether the weapons were linked to any recent plans for subversive activities.

Police are examining the origin of the firearms and ammunition, their possible movement across the interstate border and whether individuals associated with former Maoist groups had access to the hideout.

Purulia Superintendent of Police Kumar Sunny Raj said the district police were maintaining a zero-tolerance approach towards Maoist activities.

Security agencies have intensified monitoring of suspicious movements in the forested and border areas. The joint search operation is continuing to determine whether additional weapons, ammunition or other materials associated with Maoist activities remain concealed in the region.

Recovery revives memories of Maoist insurgency

The discovery has brought renewed attention to Purulia’s troubled history of Left-wing extremism. The vast forest stretches of Bandwan, adjoining Jharkhand, were once among the areas affected by Maoist activities in western Bengal. Their difficult terrain and proximity to the interstate border had posed significant challenges for security forces conducting counterinsurgency operations.

For years, the forested belt of Purulia and adjoining areas formed part of the wider Maoist-affected region of western Bengal, where security forces carried out sustained operations against armed extremist groups.

Although Maoist activities have declined considerably over the years, the recovery of functioning firearms from a concealed forest hideout has raised questions about whether remnants of the earlier insurgent network continue to maintain hidden stockpiles.

Security vigil intensified along Jharkhand border

The timing of the recovery, ahead of Bengal’s biggest festival, has added to its significance for security agencies. Police have stepped up surveillance in vulnerable forest pockets and along routes connecting Purulia with neighbouring Jharkhand. Investigators are also exploring whether the recovered weapons formed part of an old Maoist stockpile or were concealed more recently.

The district police consider the operation a significant breakthrough in their efforts to prevent any revival of extremist activities in the region. However, the central question remains unanswered: Were the firearms remnants of Purulia’s Maoist past, or evidence of an attempt to reactivate a dormant network?

For now, investigators are pursuing the leads provided by the surrendered Maoists, while security forces continue combing operations across the forested border belt.