Report by Deba Prasad Dash; Malkangiri: While intensifying its operation against the Maoists, joint team of Orkel police and Border Security Forces (BSF) in a late evening swoop on Friday has recovered huge cache of arms & ammunitions from a dump deep inside the Tarlakota forest area.

Acting on credible information, the cops during the combing operation in the area, have unearthed one pistol and nine live bullets from the dump, said Orkel IIC Raj Kishor Dash to this paper.

The rebels who have already gone underground after the deployment of paramilitary forces at Balimela could have certainly used the stored ammunitions against the cops, but before they reach the rebels hand, we managed to reach the spot and seized the same, police sources here claimed.

We have certainly averted a major attack as well as loss of many lives by not allowing the ultras to materialize their ill design of taking possession of the ammo, Police said. The recovery of explosives came at a time when the rebels are on the job to expand their base to the other areas in the district.. Police are on the tenterhooks with the rising Maoist insurgency in the district during the past few months.