Jharkhand: Two CoBRA Personnel Injured in IED Blast in Saranda Forest; Maoist Plot Foiled in Bijapur

West Singhbhum |

Two personnel of the 209 CoBRA Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force were injured in an IED blast on Saturday in the Maoist-affected Saranda forest area of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district.

The incident occurred near Chadri Dera village under the Chotanagra police station limits while a joint team of district police and CRPF was conducting a search operation against cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).

According to officials, the security personnel accidentally triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) that had been planted in advance by Maoists. Both injured jawans were immediately evacuated from the forest area and provided प्राथमिक treatment before being airlifted to Ranchi for advanced medical care. One of the injured personnel is reported to be in critical condition.

West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Amit Renu confirmed the incident, stating that the explosion took place during an anti-Maoist operation. Following the blast, security forces heightened alertness in the area and intensified the search operation.

Security agencies said that recent successful operations against Maoists may have prompted them to plant IEDs at multiple locations in an attempt to target security personnel.

The district administration has appealed to local residents to avoid venturing unnecessarily into forest areas and to immediately inform police about any suspicious objects or activities. Officials reiterated that anti-Maoist operations will continue to restore peace in the region.

Maoist Plot Foiled in Bijapur

In a separate anti-Maoist operation in Bijapur district, security forces achieved a major success by foiling a potential attack.

Personnel of the 214th Battalion of the CRPF launched a search and area domination operation from Camp Kandalaparti-2 towards Neelmadugu village under the Farsegarh police station area. During the operation, the Bomb Detection and Disposal (BDD) team recovered 16 beer bottle IEDs and a 5-kg pressure cooker IED planted by Maoists.

All recovered explosives were safely defused and destroyed on the spot following standard safety protocols. During further searches, security forces also uncovered a Maoist dump hidden inside a plastic drum buried underground.

The recovered items included rope, flexible wires, a multimeter, iron soldering rods, wire cutters, M-seal, pencil batteries, a DC motor, Maoist uniforms, magazine pouches, medicines, and Maoist literature and pamphlets.

Officials stated that the timely action of security forces averted a major conspiracy by Maoists. Anti-Maoist operations in the region will continue, with intensified search efforts to further strengthen security in the affected districts.

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