In their second major attack on security personnel in Chhattisgarh in the past 24 hours, Maoists killed 10 policemen by blowing up their anti-landmine vehicle at Gitam under Katekalyan police station in the insurgency-hit Dantewada district early on Friday morning, the police said.
All total 14 security personnel — 10 special police officers (SPOs) and four constables — were travelling in the ill-fated vehicle. The rebels triggered landmine blast targeting the police van, when it was passing over a culvert. The incident occurred a little past midnight.
“Seven SPOs and three policemen were killed in the incident, while three others were seriously injured. Two of the injured were airlifted to Raipur when their condition worsened,” additional director-general of police (ADG) (anti-Naxal operation), Mr Ramniwas, told this newspaper.
“It was a huge blast. It appears the ultras used improvised explosive device (IED), planted under the culvert, weighing no less than 25 kg. The vehicle was tossed up in the air and mangled under the impact of the explosion,“ senior superintendent of police (SSP), Bastar region, Surjit Kumar told this newspaper.
Police sources said the Naxals surrounded the vehicle after triggering landmine explosion and fired indiscriminately at the injured security personnel, who were coming out of it by breaking open the doors.
The police personnel were heading for Katekalyan to join another batch of security personnel to launch search operations in the area.
The first anti-landmine vehicle carrying a dozen security personnel had passed through the route barely a few minutes before the second one was hit by the landmine blast.