Raipur: A major tragedy was averted today when security forces recovered powerful explosives, including a 10-kg pipe bomb, from a dense forest pocket in the naxal-hit Kondagaon district while returning from patrolling operations.
“The explosives were kept in a big empty plastic water tank which was hidden beneath earth near Totar village under Mardapal police station limits,” a senior police official told PTI.
The explosives were found when security forces were returning after a combing operation they had launched from Mardapal to interior villages, around 300 kms away from the state capital, when they got a tip-off about a dump of explosives hidden between Kodenar and Totar.
They found two improvised explosives devices (IEDs) of 5kg each, a pipe bomb of 10 kg, five bundles of wire kept in a 500 litre plastic water tank placed beneath the earth, the official said, adding that a major mishap was averted following the recovery.
The bombs were meant to harm security personnel during their operations in the region, he said. The explosives were immediately destroyed by a bomb disposal squad.