Maoists trigger landmine blasts; close shave for policemen

A group of police personnel had a close shave today as Maoists triggered two landmine blasts in the insurgency-hit Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.

The rebels exploded landmine near Sarpanch Para village under Awapalli police station limits when the security personnel were walking on foot while patrolling the region, a senior police official told PTI.

However, no injuries or causalities were reported in the incident, he added.

The patrolling party was mobilised from Awaplli and when it reached near Sarpanch Para after covering a distance of two kms in the forests, the explosives went off.

Soon after the explosion, ultras opened indiscriminate firing on the security personnel following which they retaliated, he said.

After a short exchange of gunfire, naxals fled to the core forests, he said.

During the search following the gun-battle, an improvised explosive device (IED) was detected at the spot, he said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and a hunt has been launched in the region to nab the attackers, he added.