IEDs planted by Maoists recovered in Jharkhand

Latehar (Jharkhand), Nov 25 (PTI) Security personnel have recovered 12 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), suspected to have been planted by the banned CPI (Maoists), from Budapahad in Jharkhand's Latehar district, a senior police officer said on Friday.

Budapahad bordering Chattishgarh is considered a den of the outlawed CPI (Maoists), the officer said.

In the course of the ongoing anti-Maoist "operation Octopus" jointly launched by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jharkhand Jaguar, Cobra battalions and district armed police in Latehar district, the security personnel recovered the IEDs during a search operation in the Budapahad jungle, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Latehar, Anjani Anjan, said.

The bomb disposal squad defused the IEDs of different weights, including seven and 10 kg, the SP told PTI.

The banned CPI (Maoists) had planted the explosives to cause damage to security personnel engaged in the operation, the police officer said.

On November 18, the security personnel recovered 120 IEDs from the Maoist stronghold Budapahad.

A day before, security personnel had detected and recovered a 15 kg cooker bomb, a claymore mine, three detonators, one wireless set, ten batteries, seven switches, two ammunition pouches, two black uniforms and Maoist literature.

The anti-Maoist operation aimed to wipe out the menace in the state is on in the Budapahad and Kolhan areas. PTI BS SBN SBN SBN