KANKER: Security forces on Thursday recovered a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) - suspected to have been planted by Maoists - in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, police said.
The explosive packed in an iron pipe, weighing 10 kg, also called a pipe bomb, was seized near Tekapar village under Koyalibeda police station limits when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on a search operation, said Amarnath Sidar, Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Antagarh.
While cordoning off a forested hill, the patrolling team detected the bomb hidden under bushes along a dirt track to target security forces, he said, adding that a major tragedy was averted with the recovery.
The explosive was later neutralised by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), he added.
Maoists generally plant explosives and iron spikes on such tracks to target security personnel during their long search operations in jungles, the official said.