3 STF personnel injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur

Three personnel of the Special Task Force (STF) were injured when a pressure Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday, police said.

The incident took place at a forest in Kandlaparti village under Bhopalpatnam police station area when a team of STF, a unit of the state police, was out on an area domination operation, a police official said.

The security personnel inadvertently came in contact with a pressure IED, triggering the blast, causing them injuries, he said.

After preliminary treatment, the injured personnel were being shifted to Bijapur district hospital, the official said.

A search operation is underway in the area, he added.

Naxalites often plant IEDs along the road and dirt tracks in forests to target security personnel during patrolling in the interior pockets of the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur. Civilians have fallen prey to such traps laid in the past by Naxalites in the region.

On Saturday, a commando of the CRPF's CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) unit was injured when a pressure IED planted by Naxalites exploded in the Usoor police station area of Bijapur.

Earlier, on October 9, a boy was injured in a similar blast in Gangaloor area of the district.