NEW DELHI: The probe into arms seized from two Naxals on March 26 in Aurangabad, Bihar, is giving sleepless nights to security agencies as two anti-tank grenade recovered from them turned out to be ‘Made in Bulgaria’ and are the most advanced handheld anti-tank, anti-helicopter grenades.
Sources in the security agency told Express that RPG-7 recovered from the Maoists not only reveal the Naxal firepower but also confirm their links with international arms smuggling groups.
“We don’t know how many of these have they managed to procure but it is very serious, as RPG-7 is a modern weapon. Outside J&K, this is the first anti-tank and anti-helicopter weapon seizure that too, foreign-made. We have not been able to trace the supply chain yet,” sources said. The Maoists tried very hard to make indigenous RPG but could not achieve the desired result. They used two houses at Dombivli East in Mumbai to procure parts of rocket launchers.
The security agencies are also probing the Mumbai links of the Maoists and how they were able to procure the materials. Andhra Police and ATS had busted the Maoist den in Mumbai in March this year and arrested four ultras. The Maoists have set up units at various centres in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to manufacture artillery, rifle parts and booby traps, the sources said.
Shivagurunathan Vesaki Muthu alias Sethu is said to be heading the manufacturing unit in the South.
“Maoists have established temporary production units in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar and Maharashtra. It was noticed that these units could be easily dismantled and the tech team can move on to hideouts,” sources said.