The naxal attack in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district which killed 12 CRPF personnel appeared to have been “pre-planned” and executed with “deadly accuracy”, police said on Sunday.
Besides triggering IED blast and indiscriminate firing, naxals also lobbed country-made mortars and “Rambo-style” explosive-headed-arrows on security personnel during the ambush, they said.
“As per preliminary investigation, it was learnt that the attack was pre-planned and executed by two military platoons of maoists active in Bhejji periphery. The security forces seem to have walked into a trap,” a senior police official said.
At around 8 am on Saturday, a Road Opening Party (ROP) of CRPF’s 219th battalion, comprising around 120 personnel, had launched the operation from Bhejji to ensure security to the construction works underway between Injram-Bhejji, he said.
Besides, the ROP was also meant to sanitise the area for the movement of villagers and traders for the weekly market held every Saturday at Bhejji, located around 450 kms from the State capital, the official said.
“It is presumed that ultras were aware of the ROP operation on ‘market day’ and therefore had positioned themselves in the forest ahead of the patrolling team’s movement,” he said.