Woman killed in IED explosion in Jharkhand

An elderly woman was killed after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) allegedly planted by the proscribed CPI (Maoists) exploded in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, a senior police officer said on Friday.

The incident happened in a forest near Maradiri village on Thursday, the police officer said, adding that the Maoists planted the IED to target security personnel.

Randai Purty (56), a resident of Maradiri village, had gone to the forest to collect firewood when the explosive went off.

A police team reached the spot on Friday, recovered the body, and sent it to Chakrafharpur Sub-Divisional Hospital for post-mortem examination, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of West Singhbhum district, Ashutosh Shekhar, said.

The SP condemned the incident and said the Maoists are now targetting innocent villagers in desperation, as the ongoing anti-Naxal operation contained their activities to a large extent.