In a landmine blast in Ramgiri forest near Kaliajhola under the Boipariguda Police Station of Koraput district, two BSF personnel were killed. The ultras also killed a businessman branding him as a police informer on Thursday night.
The deceased BSF personnel were identified as Deputy Commandant (DC) Sunil Behera and Constable Sibashish Panda. They were from 143 Battalion BSF camp put up at Ramgiri. While returning by a motorcycle from a combing operation following the businessman’s murder, they were trapped in the landmine planted by the Maoists which went off killing the duo.
They were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital, Koraput in seriously injured conditions. On the way, Constable Sibashish Panda died while DC Sunil Behera also lost his life a few minutes later.
Sibashish was a native of Cuttack Chauliaganj and Sunil Beheara of Bhanjanagar and was residing at Kaling Vihar, Bhubaneswar, sources said.
Following the incident, search and combing operations were strengthened in the Ramgiri, Dandabadi and its interior pockets. “We are deeply shocked with this incident and this is really unfortunate that our men have lost their live,” said a senior official of BSF.
The businessman was shot dead by ultras at Dandabadi village on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Bapi Samant. Around 50 armed cadres rushed into his village in the late hours of Thursday and called Bapi Samant and his wife along with his younger daughter in front of their house. later, they dragged all of them forcibly with them before setting ablaze a pick-up van of Bapi.
The Maoists looted his shop and gold jewellery and money from Bapi’s house. They freed Sabita Samant, wife of Bapi, and his younger sister, but killed Bapi at the end of the village branding him as a police informer.
On the spot, they left Maoist posters near the body where CPI Maoist committee took responsibility of the killing. Notably in 2009 Maoists had tortured the elder brother of Bapi and threatened him to close the shop.