7 IEDs planted by Maoists defused in Odisha's Malkangiri district: BSF

Seven IEDs, suspected to

have been planted by cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit, were defused by security forces in Odisha's Malkangiri district, a BSF statement said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel launched a combing operation in Swabhimaan Anchal along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border on Monday evening, it said.

The troops detected the improvised explosive devices planted on a road, the statement said.

"It is suspected to be a handiwork of the red rebels to target troops in interior areas of Swabhimaan Anchal," it said.

A bomb disposal squad reached the spot and defused the IEDs early on Tuesday, the statement said.

Though the state administration is rapidly developing the remote Swabhimaan Anchal, the red rebels are always in action to destabilise it and cause damage to security forces and government projects, it said.

The area, which had remained cut-off for many years, was connected with the rest of the state following the inauguration of the Gurupriya Bridge in 2018, it added.