Gold bars weighing 7.2 kg and valued at approximately $Rs 11.16 crore has been recovered from a Maoist hideout seized in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur on March 31, officials said, terming it a major seizure during counter-insurgency operations.
The police said that the bodies were recovered during a search operation in a forested area after obtaining specific intelligence information about the hideout. The surrendered Maoists told investigators that after Maoist Rupesh surrendered, a large amount of cash and gold was transferred to Bijapur on behalf of rebel commander Babarao. The police then interrogated more Maoists for about 10 days before raiding the hideout.
The police said that the authenticity, purity and origin of the gold are being verified. “At first glance, these appear to be gold bars, but only forensic and metallurgical examination will confirm their true composition and value,” an official said.
Inspector General (Bastar Range) Sundarraj Pattilingam pointed out the Swiss marks on the bars and said it looked like a deception by the goldsmiths from where the gold was purchased. “The interesting thing is the Swiss mark. We are interrogating other Maoist cadres about the origin of this brick, and the investigation will continue,” he said. He added that the police are investigating the case from all angles.
Police said the money collected by charging illegal fees to contractors and villagers was kept in the hideout. An intelligence officer said he believed more such bunkers were in the jungle, and it would take time to locate them. “Many Maoists have surrendered without weapons, hence many such hideouts are still there. There is still gold and money in such hideouts,” the officer said.
On March 11, about 1 kg of gold was recovered from another Maoist hideout in Bijapur. Intensive anti-Maoist operations targeted infrastructure, including weapons depots, supply chains and financial networks of the insurgents.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament on Monday that India is now free of Maoists. The statement came one day before the deadline set by the government of March 31, 2026 to eliminate left-wing extremism. Shah said 4,839 Maoists surrendered, 706 were killed, and 2,218 were arrested and imprisoned in the past three years. Bastar, Dantewada, Sukuma, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Kanker districts have been the epicenter of the Maoist insurgency in Chhattisgarh for decades.
