MALKANGIRI: Three Special Operation Group (SOG) jawans were injured in explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) that was allegedly triggered by Maoists near a forest adjoining Gugapadar village under Mathili police limits on Saturday.
The explosion took place when the SOG team was on its way to the forest under Kartanpalli panchayat to carry out combing operation in the morning following an intelligence input that Maoists belonging to Bastar division had planned to hold a meeting there.
The Maoists triggered the blast near Gugapadar village leaving three jawans injured. Two of them - Pankaj Dandasena and Pankaj Nayak - were seriously injured and the other one received minor injuries. They were rushed to District Headquarters Hospital. Later, Dandasena and Nayak were airlifted to Visakhapatnam after primary treatment here, said SP Jagmohan Meena.
The Maoists reportedly had prior information about SOG jawans’ plan for undertaking combing operation in the area and accordingly, planted the IED to ambush them, sources said. Combing operation has been intensified in the area following the incident.