Balaghat: In continued search operations, Madhya Pradesh police on October 17 recovered 5.75 tonnes of explosives, looted by banned People's War Group (PWG) naxals, from the jungles in the district.

With this, 6.75 tonnes of the total nine tonnes stolen explosives has been recovered so far, the IG for Balaghat, Sukhraj Singh said over the phone from the district.

One tonne of the stolen explosives was recovered on October 16.

Till now a total of 243 boxes of explosives have been recovered from dumps used by naxalites to hide them, he said.

During the search operations, police personnel had to engage in an exchange of fire with the naxals, who were guarding the explosives, he said.

Singh said that boxes containing the explosives were put in the dumps and covered with polythene. Branches of tress were then strewn on the top to hide them.

The search operations were being conducted under tough conditions as it was raining very heavily in the jungles of Lagoor Ghatiia where the ultras had hidden the explosives, Singh said adding the search operations would continue till all the explosives were recovered and attempts would be made to nab the naxalites who had looted them.

The naxals had looted nine tonnes of explosives on the evening of October 6 by waylaying a truck and kidnapping its driver and cleaner. The duo was released by the naxals two days later and it was then that the police came to know of the loot.

PTI