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2 powerful landmines unearthed in Jayashanker Bhupalpally district
In a significant development that averted a potential Maoist attack on their targets, the police have found two powerful landmines planted on Wazedu-Bhadrachalam highway.
Eturnagaram (Jayashanker Bhupalpally): In a significant development that averted a potential Maoist attack on their targets, the police have found two powerful landmines planted on Wazedu-Bhadrachalam highway.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP Eturnagaram) Rahul Hegde BK, during a routine check-up at around 4.30 am on Monday, the road opening party (ROP) has stumbled upon a wire by the side of the road between Abbaigudem and Aluvaka villages.
Suspecting that the wire could have been connected to explosives, the ROP team immediately alerted bomb squad team. The bomb squad, which rushed to the spot, unearthed and defused the landmines, allegedly planted by CPI (Maoist) party activists. The landmines were so powerful that they could have blown up a bus, if sparked off, the police said.
Around 25 kilograms of explosives packed in two metal buckets placed at a distance of two feet along with detonators were planted at a depth of nearly 1.5 metres on the highway. A 2.5 kilometre of ‘cordtex’, a type of detonating cord used in mining for its high velocity detonation capability, was also recovered by the police.
The ASP Hegde visited the spot to take stock of the situation. A case under relevant sections of Explosives Act was registered at Venkatapur police station. The police were also considering filing a case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the incident.
It was suspected the landmines were planted a year ago. It’s worth mentioning that Aluvaka village, which located at a close proximity to Chhattisgarh borders, was said to be frequented by Maoist sympathisers to purchase essential commodities at weekly market (santha) conducted at the village.
There used to be regular movement of police, besides VIPs, on Wazedu-Bhadrachalam highway. The landmines might have been planted to target them. A serious threat to the police and the VIPs was averted by finding the landmines beforehand, a senior police official said.
It might be recalled that on March 4 this year, a landmine was found on Palemvagu project road near Rachapalle village in Venkatapur mandal, ahead of scheduled inspection of the project by Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao and R&B Minister T Nageshwar Rao.
Similarly, an auto driver was injured, when he accidentally stepped on a pressure bomb placed by the side of Venkatapur-Cherla highway on December 1 last year. Maoist posters and banners were also found in that area at that time.
