SAA event in West Bengal, Duarsini, Purulia District area, India on Tue 13th October 2026

On October 13, 2026, West Bengal Police recovered a bag containing firearms and ammunition from a house in the Duarsini area under Bandoan Police Station limits in Purulia District, near the Jharkhand border, following the interrogation of recently surrendered Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, reports Daijiworld. Purulia Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumar Sunny Raj said the recovery was based on information obtained from surrendered cadres, including Maoist leaders Madan, Ravi and Mira. Raj stated that West Bengal Police had intensified anti-Maoist operations in coordination with Jharkhand Police. Joint raids and search operations conducted in August and September by the West Bengal Police Special Task Force (STF), Bankura District Police and Jharkhand Police had yielded significant results. Police suspect that additional firearms and ammunition may be concealed at other locations in the border region and said searches would continue. The recovery comes amid sustained operations against the CPI-Maoist in the region. In September 2026, the Kolkata Police STF arrested senior Maoist leader Asim Mandal alias Akash, Timir and Manoj in Patashpur in East Midnapore District. Mandal was reportedly active across West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha, with a combined bounty of INR 2.20 crore announced by the Jharkhand and Odisha governments. Police are expected to pursue further searches based on leads obtained during the investigation. The latest recovery highlights continuing efforts to locate suspected Maoist arms caches along the inter-state border.