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 targeting innocent villagers in desperation, as the ongoing anti-Naxal operation contained their activities to a large extent.

''In the course of continuing anti-Naxal operation, security personnel recovered three IEDs planted by Maoists in the forest area near Husipi village of the district on Friday,'' the SP said in a statement.

The IEDs, weighing 5 kg each, were planted to inflict harm to the joint combing operation team comprising CRPF, Cobra, Jharkhand Jaguar and the district armed police.

The bomb disposal squad defused all the IEDs on the spot.

The security personnel also demolished a temporary camp of the left-wing extremist group in the forest near Sandiburu village.

They also seized IED-making materials and other items from the camp. It had a capacity to accommodate about two dozen people, the statement added.

Earlier on Thursday, security personnel had destroyed two IEDs in a forest between Haathiburu and Lowabeda village in the course of the operation.