(MENAFN- IANS) Bijapur, Nov 20 (IANS) In a major success against Left Wing Extremism, security personnel from Bhairamgarh Police Station and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDS) of Bijapur district on Thursday detected and safely destroyed a powerful 10-kilogram Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Maoists on the Chihka-Uspari road in the Maoist-affected Bastar region.

The operation was conducted in the Uspari village area under Bhairamgarh Police Station area.

A joint team was carrying out routine area domination and search operations when alert jawans spotted an electric wire suspiciously emerging from the ground along the rural road frequently used by villagers and security forces, senior police officials said.

Following Standard Operating Procedures, the team immediately cordoned off the area and conducted a thorough search. Within minutes, they located a steel tiffin box buried beneath the surface.

On careful examination, the container was found to contain a command-initiated IED weighing approximately 10 kg, packed with explosives and connected to an electric detonator circuit designed to be triggered remotely, said the officials.

The Bijapur BDS team was rushed to the spot and, exercising utmost caution, successfully defused and destroyed the deadly device through a controlled explosion at the site itself.

No casualties or damage to property were reported during the neutralisation process. Police officials termed the recovery“timely and significant,” stating that the IED was strategically placed to target security force convoys or civilian vehicles plying on the newly-developed road linking remote villages.

Its destruction has thwarted a potentially devastating Maoist attack and ensured safe passage for locals who depend on the route for daily commuting, supply of essential goods, and access to markets and healthcare.

Senior officials of Bijapur district police praised the vigilance of the patrolling team, emphasising that intensified anti-Maoist operations, road construction, and area domination exercises under the security grid have severely restricted the movement and operational space of CPI (Maoist) cadres in the region.

With the Bastar region witnessing a decline in Maoist violence over the past year due to sustained counter-insurgency efforts, such proactive detections underscore the commitment of Chhattisgarh Police and central forces to restore complete normalcy and development in one of India's most challenging internal security theatres.

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