In a significant crackdown, security forces arrested 22 Naxalites and seized explosive materials across three locations in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Tuesday, police announced on Thursday.

The operations, conducted by joint teams of the Central Reserve Police Force’s elite CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) unit and local police, targeted Naxal strongholds in the region.

Seven lower-rung cadres, aged 19 to 45, were apprehended in a forest near Tekmetla village under Usoor police station during an area domination operation. In a separate action, six Naxalites were detained in Belchar village’s forests under Jangla police station, while nine others were nabbed in Kandakarka village’s forest under Nelasnar police station.

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The arrests mark a continued effort to curb Naxal activities in the Bastar division, with 138 Naxalites killed in Chhattisgarh this year, 122 in Bastar alone.

Security forces recovered tiffin bombs, gelatin sticks, detonators, electric wires, batteries, Maoist pamphlets, and other items from the suspects. The operations reflect intensified anti-Naxal efforts, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah projecting the end of Naxalism by March 2026. Further investigations are underway to dismantle the insurgents’ network in the region.

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