Patna: Amresh Kumar, a Border Security Force (BSF) constable and a resident of Begusarai, was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion triggered by Maoists in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday.

Amresh, 28, was with the 134th battalion of the central force, and was deployed in the Maoist-hit state.

Residents of Manjhaul in Begusarai were finding it tough to console the grieving family members of Amresh. His mother Manju Devi, 58, was weeping inconsolably ever since she came to know about her younger son's death.

"Why is the almighty so cruel with us? Why did he take away my son so early? He was the only bread earner of the family," the mother asked such questions from people who visited her house.

Amresh, second among three children of Umesh Singh, a newspaper vendor, had joined the BSF in 2012. He was married about three years ago but didn't have any child. The father was so shattered by the death of his son that he had been kept under the supervision of a doctor. The news about Amresh's death reached the family around 8.45pm on Wednesday.

"Initially we thought the information was wrong. But we got the news confirmed from a news channel, which showed file pictures of two slain BSF personnel, including Amresh," said Rakesh Kumar, one of the relatives of the deceased cop, who visited the house in Manjhaul on Thursday.

He said the economic condition of the family was dire. While the father used to earn by selling newspapers in the block headquarters at Cheria Bariarpur, his elder brother depended on agriculture. "The family solely depended on the salary of Amresh, who is now no more," Rakesh added.

The BSF headquarters told the family on Thursday that the corpse of the slain jawan would reach Begusarai on Friday. Apart from Amresh, assistant commander Jitendra Kumar, a resident of Haryana, lost his life in the explosion, which occurred in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh during an anti-Naxalite operation.