Bijapur: Security forces on Thursday claimed to have averted a major tragedy by defusing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) found along Basaguda and Awapalli road in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
The IED was found under the road by a team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which had gone out on a routine search operation.
50 kg IED Defused
According to officials, the Naxals had planted the IED, weighing around 50 kg, under the bridge near a Durga temple on Basaguda and Avapalli road in Timapur.
As soon as the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) reached the spot, they got the signal of the bomb in the metal detector. The team immediately dug the area and defused the bomb on the spot, triggering a loud explosion, which was heard several kilometres away.
Bomb Under A Culvert
The Naxals had planted the bomb under a culvert by hiding it between concrete and stones, said an official. “The soldiers first tried to remove the bomb from there but it was fitted at a great depth. Removing the bomb from there could have been fatal. Therefore, the BDS team thought it better and safer to defuse the IED on the spot,” he said.
Alert Soldiers Averted Major Tragedy
Officials said that the IED could be detected by the alertness of CRPF soldiers, who were on a search operation today. “It was a major conspiracy of Naxals, which was foiled. The spot where the IED was defused got damaged but was filled immediately and the road was made suitable for traffic movement,” they said.