Cops Announce Cash Reward For Info On Maoists Behind Dantewada Attack

Dantewada:

Making headway in the ongoing Dantewada blast investigation, Bastar Police released the photograph of the Aranpur blast’s mastermind and also announced the cash reward for Maoists indulged in the incident.

On April 26, 10 DRG personnel and a civilian driver were killed after insurgents triggered an IED blast on Aranpur road.

The mastermind has been identified as Jagdish.

“As per the investigation findings, it came to light that the dreaded Maoist cadre Jagdish has allegedly hatched the plan of triggering an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast leaving 10 DRG personnel and a civilian driver dead in Dantewada,” said police officials.

According to police, Jagdish’s wife, who is Class 8th pass and native of Sukma district, identified as Hemla is the commander of the doctor’s team in the Darbha division of the outlawed organisation.

“Jagrish’s father-in-law Vinod Hemla is active as the incharge of the Kanger Ghati Area Committee,” said officials, elaborating that as per the intelligence inputs, the Darbha division committee of CPI (Maoist) would be involved in the blast.

“Police have announced cash reward on the Maoist cadres involved in the blast and according to the intelligence inputs coupled with technical evidence, Jagdish was allegedly spotted near the blast site and he had hatched the conspiracy of triggering the blast,” informed officials.

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which claimed the lives of 10 DFG personnel and a driver on Wednesday in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada was planted by Maoists at least two months ago through a ‘foxhole mechanism’, Bastar Police said.

According to the police, the Maoists had planted the IED beneath the road by digging a tunnel through a ‘foxhole mechanism’ which is a style of digging tunnel because of which it became undetectable.

“De-mining is done on the said road from time to time. Prima-facie it appears that the IED was planted far below the road through ‘foxhole mechanism’ (a style of digging tunnel) due to which it could not be detected during the de-mining exercise,” the police said.

Initial investigation revealed that the IED was planted around one-and-half or two months back by digging a tunnel roadside and the wire connected to it was hidden 2-3 inches beneath the ground, the police said.

Based on the investigation findings, police have registered an offence against Maoist cadres including Chaitu, Deva, Mangtu, Ransai, Jailal, Baman, Some, Rakesh, Bhima and others under Sections 147, 148, 149, 307, 302, under Arms Act, UAPA Act and other acts, said Bastar Police.

A video purportedly showing the moments after the deadly Maoist attack on the District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada surfaced in which a Maoist was seen firing at the police.

In the video, the jawan’s bag was seen lying on the ground after the IED blast on the DRG vehicle and a Maoist was seen crawling into the forest with a gun in his hand to take the position further for carrying out the attack. The sound of gunshots was also heard at the end of the video.

As many as 10 personnel and one civilian were killed in the improvised explosive device (IED) blast by Maoists in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. The video surfaced pertaining to the attack has gone viral on social media but the source of which is unverified.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)