BHUBANESWAR: Four BSF officers, including a Commanding Officer, were today killed in an IED blast by suspected Maoists in Malkangiri district of Odisha.
The BSF squad was targeted at around 1 PM in the Janbai area of the district, under Chitragonda police station area, 465 kms from here, and its jungles are a Naxal hotbed as it touches the borders of two other states-- Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, making it a corridor for Maoists.
According to initial reports, the officers were returning in their vehicle after attending a meeting with the district administration.
The victims have been identified as Commandant (107 battalion) G R Khaswan, his Second-in-Command Rajesh Sharan, Inspector Ashok and Assistant Sub-Inspector and radio operator of the squad Jitendra.
A Border Security Force (BSF) company is located in the area where the blast occurred.
The area witnesses a huge inter-state movement of armed Maoist cadres, a senior official said.