Powerful landmine recovered, defused in Jharkhand

A powerful landmine planted on a state highway was recovered and defused in West Singhbhum district on a tip off by a hard-core Naxal arrested by the security personnel, police said on Thursday.

A landmine weighing around 40 to 45 kg was planted on the state highway between Chotanagra-Manoharpur road to target the security personnel, Superintendent of Police of West Singhbhum, Pankaj Kamboj.

The landmine was recovered yesterday following the arrest of the chairman of Krantikari Kishan Committee, a frontal organisation of CPI(Maoist) Vishnu Cherwa, Kambhoj said.

Cherwa told the police about the landmine during the interrogation, the SP said, adding that the district police force and CRPF carried out massive search operation in the Naxal-affected Saranda forest on the lead provided by him.

Kamboj said a bomb disposal squad from Ranchi defused the landmine.

—PTI