West Bengal police on Tuesday recovered huge cache of bomb making materials enough to cause damage to battalion of security forces from Maoist dominated Birbhum district.
A senior police officer said, “If the Maoists had succeeded in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) of the recovered materials then they could have caused major damages to out security forces engaged in anti-Naxal operations in the area.”
However, he added that they are trying to confirm if the explosive making devices was procured by Maoists or not.
A senior CRPF officer not willing to be quoted told NewsNation.in that the operation was conducted on intelligence inputs.
“They had received inputs that explosive making materials in huge quantity were stored in an abandoned house in Talbandh village under Md Bazar Police station, “ added the CRPF officer.
Security force have recovered 8,000 gelatin sticks, 18,000 pieces of detonators and 100 kilograms of ammonium nitrate.
The CRPF officer added that the Maoists from the recovered materials could have made can bombs, cylinder bombs, claymore mines, pressure bombs and series bombs.
“Huge intensity landmines could have been made by the recovered explosive material which could easily blow of anti-landmine vehicles,” added the CRPF.
An IPS officer with the West Bengal Police said, “We are verifying the facts if the explosive materials were stored by Maoists or illegal miners.”
He added that the explosive materials could have been procured by illegal miners.