Mulugu: Police defuse landmine planted in Penugolu forest area

Mulugu: A landmine was unearthed and defused by the police of Wazeedu and Venkatapuram mandals along with CRPF 39(C) and bomb disposal (BD) squad in Penugolu forest area under Wazeedu mandal limits in the district on Monday, SP Sangram Singh Patil said.

Addressing a press meet, he said: “Circle Inspector of Venkatapuram, K Shivaprasad, and others found an electric wire suspected to have been connected to a landmine planted by Maoists on their way to Pamurnuru from Penugolu, and dug up the area. “During careful extraction of the mine, the police found a pressure cooker, Cordex wire (20mts approx.), two detonators, one electrical switch, one big battery set, 33 batteries, three electrical wire bundles, one camera flash, one measuring/testing meter, five mother boards, 150 mother board pins, 100 connectors, two soldering pastes, one mobile phone charger connecting wire, 200 condensers and capacitors, three two-wheeler security system, one cutting plier and three car lock system keys,” the SP added.

JMMWP Divisional Committee members of the outlawed CPI Maoists Kankanala Raji Reddy and others had reportedly planted the mine to eliminate the police party proceeding for combing, and concealed the explosives and equipment in the reserve forest near Penugolu village of Wazeedu mandal.

“On February 5, in one such incident, a journalist was killed in the landmine blast set off by Maoist at Kalahandi district in Odisha. Therefore, people roaming in the area should be vigilant and be careful not to fall prey to landmines set up by the Maoists,” the SP cautioned. OSD Shoban Kumar, SIs of Wazeedu PS K Thirupathi Rao, Harish, CRPF staff and others police personnel were present at the press meet.