In a huge success for security forces 33 powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) planted by Maoists were recovered under Pirtard Police Station in Giridih district on Thursday, said SP, Giridih, SK Jha.
Lethality of these IEDs could be assessed from the fact that it contained over 5 or 6 Kg each of explosive material that had been tightly packed in a large metal container and planted in series way within 2 km of stretch of Parasnath forest area. These IEDs were located at Parasnath forest during a sanitisation and area dominance operation by personnel of district police and 154 and 7 battalion of CRPF, said ASP, Giridih, Deepak Kumar.
A bomb disposal squad of the district and explosive experts of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from Hazaribagh and Giridih districts rushed to the spot for safe disposal of these lethal IEDs. These IEDs were suspected to be planted few months back by the Maoists to detonate it in future.
Earlier in the last two months, security personnel involved in combing operation in the same area had unearthed another powerful IED in the form of a big Tiffin box that contained around 10 kilograms of explosive material. According to the ASP Deepak Kumar, the IEDs safely recovered now could have caused large scale damage to civilians or security personnel.
CRPF Dy Commandant Ajit Kumar said that the IEDs being recovered in Parasnath forest area are suspected to be planted by naxalites few months back, when the ultras had ample presence in remote areas of Giridih district. At present naxal activity has got curtailed to almost nil in this district. Earlier naxalites had blasted the Pirtard and Parasnath forest beat houses. Before escaping from the area, ultras had planted landmines at various spots at Parasnath and other places of the Pirtard police station to target police patrols that would reach the spot.
The entire operation being carried out under leadership of Giridih SP, ASP Deepak Kumar and other CRPF personnel were Ajit Kumar, Sanjay Kumar and local police station forces.