Security
Chhattisgarh Maoists Attack: Explosive Planted Around Two Months Ago Through 'Foxhole Mechanism'
Swarajya Staff
Apr 29, 2023, 12:00 PM | Updated 12:00 PM IST
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The powerful IED, which killed 10 District Reserve Guard (DRF) personnel and a civilian driver in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, was reportedly planted beneath the road a few months ago by digging a tunnel through 'foxhole mechanism'.
According to the Bastar Police, de-mining is regularly conducted on the said road, but the IED was probably planted deep in the road using the 'foxhole mechanism', making it undetectable during the exercise.
"Prima-facie it appears that the IED was planted far below the road through 'foxhole mechanism' (a style of digging tunnel) due to which it could not be detected during the de-mining exercise," news agency ANI quoted the Police as saying.
As per the initial investigation, the IED was planted around one and half or two months back by digging a tunnel roadside, and the wire connected to it was concealed 2-3 inches underground.
Based on the findings of the investigation, which is still ongoing, the police have registered an offence against naxal cadres.
Earlier on 26 April, Maoists carried out an IED attack on a vehicle carrying District Reserve Guard personnel near Aranpur in Dantewada, leaving 10 personnel and a civilian dead.
The DRG personnel were traveling in a rented, unprotected civilian van to an area controlled by the Aranpur police station based on information about the presence of Naxals in the area.
During their return from the area in an unprotected civilian van, the Maoists detonated a significant amount of explosives, destroying the van.
A 50-kg IED was used by the Maoists to attack the convoy, causing the van with no ballistic protection to be flung 20 feet into the air. The debris of the destroyed van also fell 150 metres away from the blast site, according to an NDTV report.
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