CPI (Maoist) rebels on Saturday ambushed a long Range Patrolling (lRP) party of the CRPF at Topchanchi, about 35 kms from the district headquarter of Dhanbad district triggering IED blast, in which six CRPF jawans were injured. Two of the injured jawans are critical and have been admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of Medica Hospital in Ranchi.
The incident took place on Saturday morning when a team of CRPF was on lRP on motorcycles at Bodra village, barely 10 km from Topchanchi police station in Dhanbad. The CRPF personnel were riding motorcycles, when the extremists set off the blast through an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), police said.
State Police Spokesperson SN Pradhan said that the status of injured jawans was stable as they were airlifted to Ranchi from the site for better treatment at a private hospital. “Incident took place in the bordering area of Dhanbad and Giridih district where the rebels had laid several landmines. As soon as one of the IEDs was triggered the gelatin rods in a series started blowing one by one and a total of 52 landmines were exploded,” he said.
“Dhanbad SP and DIG of the range were camping at the site as the security forces began intensive search operation in the area on motorcycles,” he said.
“Topchanchi Police Station incharge Dharmdeo Ram and Inspector S Mishra were leading the lRP, while a CRPF team made up the tail of the convoy. After triggering the blast, ultras fired indiscriminately at the convoy, prompting the lRP personnel to return fire .The exchange lasted a little over half an hour,” said a senior police official.
SSP Dhanbad SK Jha said that on information that Naxal cadres are assembled near the Topchanchi-Jitpur area, CRPF cops set out on a long Range Patrolling (lRP), on motorcycle in search of the rebels. “As soon as the cops rushed to the Topchanchi-Jitpur Road the naxals blasted the gelatin rods which were planted earlier on the dirt road. The blasts occurred in a series,” he added.
Notably, this is for the first time ultras ripped apart a patrol party on motorcycles. The blast was so severe that the explosion was heard at the police station, said a police personnel present at Topchanchi. The way the blast was carried out, it appeared they knew about the movement of the lRP. Moreover, prima facie evidence suggests the ultras took their time to lay the IED and were confident that the route of the lRP would not be altered, sources said.
Bodara forest area is located close to the borders of the two districts Giridih and Dhanbad. It is not the first time that Maoists have carried out an attack in the area.