IED recovered in Chhattisgarh`s Kondagaon

Raipur: A 25-kg IED, suspected to have been planted by Naxals to target polling staff and security forces during the Lok Sabha polls, was recovered in Chhattisgarh`s Kondagaon district, police said on Friday. A detonator and 70m wire were also recovered from the spot in the Maoist-affected district yesterday. A team of district police was on a combing operation when it recovered the explosive placed beneath a road near Hangwamini bridge on a rivulet, Kondagaon Additional Superintendent of Police Surjit Atri told. The explosive was planted by red rebels to attack the polling parties and security personnel during the polls this month, he said. Security forces are conducting de-mining operations in several areas of Bastar region ahead of voting to ensure violence-free polling. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have been recovered from several Naxal-affected districts, including Balod and Kondagaon, in the past one week. Chhattisgarh, which has 11 Lok Sabha seats, will vote in three phases on April 10, 17 and 24.