Rourkela: 

According to police sources, at least eight armed men allegedly intercepted the vehicle near K Balang area under Bonai subdivision and drove it about a kilometre into the forest, where they were joined by a larger group of about 40. The packets were then unloaded and carried off into the dense forests. The truck was en route from a warehouse in Badagaon to Koida Langalkatta quarry when the daylight robbery took place, holding the truck driver at gunpoint.

Security has been heightened in the western Odisha region and neighbouring Jharkhand, as a group of suspected Maoists reportedly looted nearly four tonnes of explosives in broad daylight from a truck in Sundargarh district, triggering fears over national security. The incident has prompted government to hand over investigation to a high-level team of National Investigation Agency (NIA).

As per reports, the explosives, mostly gelatin sticks being transported to a stone quarry, were unloaded and looted by around 40 armed men from near the forest along Odisha-Jharkhand border on Tuesday.

Security personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) immediately cordoned off the area and launched combing operations. The attack is believed to have been carried out by cadres of the Chhotanagpur Division.

Meanwhile, senior NIA officials along with DIG, SP and Additional SP have launched a thorough investigation after the NIA team reached Rourkela on Thursday. To collect evidence, raids have been conducted in Banko area under K Balang police limits, while mine owners have also been interrogated. Sources said around 200 packets of gelatin have been looted, while officials suspect the looters were closely associated with Maoist groups operating from Jharkhand’s Saranda forest.

After visiting the spot, Odisha Police DG YB Khurania reviewed the situation and held a high-level meeting at the Rourkela SP office, where senior officials from both Odisha and Jharkhand including the IG Operations and Sundargarh SP were present.

DIG Brijesh Ray said, "It has been reported that a truck full of explosives was taken to a particular place and was unloaded. To verify the report, police reached the spot and found that a blast was scheduled at a stone quarry. Further investigation revealed that some people captured an explosive-laden van.. The driver said that this was done by 10 individuals and afterwards, 15-20 individuals were at the unloading site.

A few more people gave similar statements, and the police have registered a case, initiating an investigation... In view of the loot, DGP reviewed the whole situation and analysed the incident site. He gave necessary instructions to the district police, discussed how to strengthen the operation... The current investigation reveals that the individuals came from the nearby Jharkhand border and returned after extracting the explosives... A team of NIA has arrived for this incident and collecting information and district police is providing whatever assistance they require..."

While Odisha Police has already launched combing operations and sealed the border with Jharkhand, the involvement of NIA indicates that the matter is now being viewed through the lens of national security.Intelligence officials apprehend that if the looted explosives fall into Maoist hands, they could be used to trigger attacks, particularly at a time when the insurgents are in the backfoot in neighbouring Jharkhand.

Notably, this isn't the first time that such an incident has occurred in the area. A similar heist was reported seven years ago, when Maoists looted explosives from the same location. Police, however, had managed to recover the stolen materials.In view of the fresh incident, police and paramilitary forces are on high alert, and combing operations have been intensified to trace the movement of the Maoist group(s) and recover the stolen explosives.

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