How Improvised explosive device was planted a day or two before Dantewada attack: police

Investigators suspect that the IED used to blow up a police vehicle in the Thandewada Maoist attack that killed 11 people, including 10 security personnel, on Wednesday may have been planted a day or two earlier. incident

Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told reporters on Thursday that prima facie it appears that a mine was dug under the road to plant explosives. He was replying to a question whether an IED was planted under the Aranpur-Jagargunta road where the incident took place.

When The Hindu visited the site in the evening, a senior officer of the Chhattisgarh police and an explosives expert of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who was present reiterated Nari's theory that “trenches on the side of the road made digging easier”. A hole to carry 60 kilograms of explosives inside using steel rods and wires. We suspect that this was done a day or two before the blast and the amount of explosives led to the formation of a deep crater,” the official said. It was then powered by cables from a tree about 150 meters into the roadside forest.

The officer oversaw the filling of the crater where parts of the exploded vehicle and human bodies were found more than 24 hours after the explosion.

Accurate with target

The official added that the Maoists had precisely reached their target as the Maoists had allowed three vehicles carrying civilians five minutes before the blast. It had the same make and design as the vehicle carrying the batch of now slain jawans of the District Reserve Guard.

"We also suspect that they may have chosen the specific location for the blast as it is a stretch of road connecting Aranpur and Saneli villages, where there is some kind of phone signal. This is important with local support in tracking the movement of 50 jawans who had returned from an anti-Maoist operation in the jungles in four different vehicles," the official said. He said the digos were placed at ceremonial checkpoints set up to celebrate the local mango harvest festival Ama Bandum.

"It is being celebrated on a mass scale and such checkpoints have been set up at places where mangoes are exchanged for some token money. We suspect it was also used to monitor the movement of jawans," the official said. Earlier, Mr. Sundarraj had said further investigation was needed, but this angle was also being looked at.

Meanwhile, commenting on the attack, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bagel said that in the last four years, 75 camps (security forces) were set up in key areas of Naxalites, while earlier camps were set up only in protected areas.

“Now, there is no need to go to Sukma as roads have been constructed from Aranpur and Byramgarh to Jagargunta. Bhuvarti [in Bijapur district], known as Hitma's [terrorist Naxal commander] headquarters, is now surrounded [by security forces camps] from all sides,” he said.