Kadernar (Chhattisgarh): Five personnel of the Chhattisgarh Police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) were killed in an IED explosion triggered by Maoists in Narayanpur district on Tuesday, officials said.
Five DRG personnel were critically injured and 10 suffered "curable" injuries in the powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, which hit a bus in which 27 DRG personnel were travelling between Kadenar and Kanhargaon.
Anti-naxal operations were going on and 1 DRG party was returning after the operation when at around 4: 15 pm, 3 IED blasts took place at a bridge in their route. Driver and 2 jawans died on spot, 2 died later at hospital. 5 jawans lost their lives in the IED explosion, informed Ashok Juneja, DG, Anti Naxal Operations.
"Personnel of ITBP's 45th Battalion are evacuating the injured. The entire area has been cordoned off and a search is on," the ITBP said.
The attack came a day after five Maoists, including one allegedly involved in the killing of four policemen after abducting them in 2015, were arrested from two places in the state's Bijapur district.
Of the five, four were held near NH-63 under Nelasnar police station area. One of them was a woman. Another cadre was arrested near Chinger village under Kutru police station area.
Different teams of the District Force and the DRG were involved in these operations to arrest Maoists on Sunday too.
Tuesday's attack also came an year after a ferocious Maoist attack in Bastar on March 22 last year in which 17 security personnel -- five of STF and 12 of DRG -- were killed.