Security forces on Saturday recovered two powerful improvised explosive devices (IEDs), weighing 30 kg each, planted by Naxals, in Maoist violence-hit Dantewada district, police said.
The IEDs were planted close to a culvert on Metapal-Katekalyan village road to target security forces or VIPs moving during the recently concluded Dantewada by-polls, Superintendent of Police (SP) Dantewada Abhishek Pallava said.
“We had specific intelligence that IED was planted on Dantewada -Katekalyan road, since then de-mining operation was being carried out on the route to trace the explosive,” he said.
Several leaders including by-poll candidates, ministers and ex-ministers moved to Katekalyan via this route during election campaign and police had deployed adequate Road Opening Parties (ROPs) to provide them security which probably averted a major tragedy, he said.
Former chief minister Raman Singh was slated to do a public meeting during the campaign in the area but permission was denied due to security reasons as long travel on an IED prone road was not advisable, he added.
On Saturday, finally security forces unearthed the IEDs placed on two big steel containers and were connected in such a way that the both IEDs would have exploded together if triggered, he said.
