Four CRPF personnel killed as Maoists blow up mine-protected vehicle
india Updated: Oct 27, 2018 23:01 IST
The incident occurred around 4 pm near camp of the CRPF , when its 168th battalion was out on ‘area domination’ operation.(PTI File Photo)
Four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed on Saturday when Maoists blew up their mine-protected vehicle (MPV) in the first such attack since elections in the state were announced on October 6. Two others were injured in the blast, police said.
The attack came on a day chief minister launched the ruling election campaign in neighbouring the district. Elections will be held in two phases, on November 12 and 20. Eighteen constituencies in eight Maoist-affected districts will vote in the first phase. The remaining 72 will vote in the second phase.
The blast went off near the CRPF’s camp around 4.30 pm when a team from its 168th Battalion was out on area domination operations and patrol duty, a senior officer said.
“The MPV was carrying six personnel and was around one km away from the CRPF camp when Maoists triggered the blast. Four jawans were killed and other two were injured,” said IG CRPF .
Reinforcements were immediately rushed to the spot and the injured personnel evacuated, he said. The bodies were subsequently retrieved from the spot. “We have launched a hunt for the attackers. Combing operations have begun in the area,” IG CRPF said.
According to CRPF , the Maoists have targeted MPVs eight times in the region since 2005, killing 42 security personnel injuring at least 50. Instead of using standard explosive devices, the Maoists were using 50-100 kg explosives in containers to explode MPVs, the CRPF had earlier said.
On Friday, IG CRPF had given details of deployment of additional forces and four helicopters in the region in the run-up to the combing operations.
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Aditya – First version of the MPV. It was made in 2001, but was publicly announced in 2007. It's built to withstand TNT and other types of explosives for up to 14 kg under the wheel and 10 kg under the hull.
Yuktirath – Second version of the MPV. It's built to withstand bomb attacks from TNT and other types of explosives for up to 42 kg under the wheel and 35 kg, alongside 14 kg of explosives and 1 kg of shrapnel from 5 metres with a height of 1.5 metres under the hull with a 6×6 drivetrain. The other known variant aside from the MRAP version is a light armored recovery vehicle, which has a 4x4 drivetrain