IED event in Chhattisgarh, Bandepara, Bijapur District area, India on Sat 24th January 2026

A joint operation by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of Bijapur, officers from the Madded Police Station, and personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) 22nd Battalion led to the recovery of a significant cache of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), suspected to have been planted by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), along with Maoist supplies hidden in dense forest areas in the rugged terrain between Bandepara and Neelamadgu villages under the Madded Police Station limits in Bijapur District of the Bastar division in Chhattisgarh on January 24, reports Zee News India. During the combing exercise, the joint teams discovered 16 pressure-triggered IEDs cleverly concealed along the Bandepara–Neelamadgu trail and in the surrounding woodland. The devices, planted inside beer bottles by Maoist cadres, posed a grave threat to patrolling security personnel as well as local civilians. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) promptly neutralised all 16 IEDs at the site itself. The operation also yielded a large Maoist dump buried in steel containers and plastic buckets at multiple underground locations across the same forest belt. The haul included a substantial quantity of explosive materials and logistical items intended to sustain insurgent activities in the region. Security personnel recovered 784 gelatin sticks weighing approximately 100 kilograms, three bundles of cordex wire, about 350 metres of black uniform cloth, one kilogram of gunpowder, along with assorted communication equipment, including four walkie-talkie chargers, four batteries, and two mobile phone chargers. In addition, the search operation led to the recovery of Maoist literature, spare uniforms, backpacks, and everyday supplies such as oil, soap, and storage containers.