ROURKELA: Amid growing concern among villagers over movement of suspected Maoists, Sundargarh police has intensified search operations and drone surveillance in forest areas along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border.
Personnel from Kinjirkela police station, assisted by the District Voluntary Force (DVF), on Sunday carried out area domination and search operations in the Kulba forest.
Surveillance drones were also deployed to scan the forest along the interstate border after two unidentified persons were reportedly seen loitering near the area recently.
Residents of several villages under Deobhubanpur panchayat in Balishankara block reportedly spotted one or two suspicious persons moving around during the night over the past week.
The unidentified persons were first spotted around midnight near Kachharjore village, close to Chinutungri and Baglata forests, around a week ago.
They were reportedly seen again at Kachharjore on June 9 and later in nearby villages, including Tangarjore and Dhubendand. Villagers claimed the suspects were dressed in dark-coloured uniforms and carrying large backpacks.
Sundargarh SP Amritpal Kaur described the exercise as a routine patrolling and area domination operation. She said drones were deployed to scan forested locations along the border following reports that villagers were panicking over the movement of two unidentified persons, who were seen either together or separately.
The SP said despite speculation about Maoist presence in the region, no concrete evidence has emerged so far. However, police are maintaining strict surveillance and closely monitoring the situation.
DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai also said no substantial evidence of Maoist activity has been found along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border. As a precautionary measure, Kinjirkela police and DVF personnel are conducting search operations in the area. He said police drones, along with a drone provided by the forest department, are being used to comprehensively scan the connected forest patches.
Notably, the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border in Sundargarh district did not witness significant Naxal activity even during the peak years of Maoist violence.
While the possibility of fleeing Maoist cadres scouting for temporary hideouts cannot be entirely ruled out, security agencies believe it is also possible that criminal outfits from Jharkhand, including the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), may be attempting to establish a foothold in the region.
