Security forces during an earlier combing operation in Dadupahari

Bokaro, Feb. 9: A 10kg directional claymore mine, targeted at a patrol team, was unearthed from near a culvert along the state highway between Bermo and Dumri, which leads to Grand Trunk Road, this afternoon.

A joint team of CRPF and Nawadih police recovered the powerful mine at Dadupahari around 1pm.

Nawadih officer in charge Shyam Kishore Mahto said there had been a sudden spurt in Maoist activities in Nawadih and Uparghat areas over the past week, and the recovery was a clear indication.

SP Saket Singh said they had information on the hidden claymore mine, which was planted near a culvert to target a routine patrol. “We combed the area and found it. It was later defused,” the SP said. “Our mission against Maoists will continue,” he added.

Unlike a conventional landmine, the claymore is command-detonated and directional, which means it is fired by remote control and shoots a pattern of metal balls into the kill zone like a shotgun.

The claymore pellets have an all-direction reach of 100 metres and is used primarily in ambushes. It is also used against unarmoured vehicles.

Maoists in Andhra Pradesh are notorious for using these powerful mines. In Jharkhand, it was used against security forces for the first time in 2003.

Today’s haul was the third consecutive success for the CRPF in terms of recovery of explosives. On February 2, three powerful landmines were recovered at Jhumra; and on February 7, two IEDs were seized. Interestingly, all these explosives were kept camouflaged near culverts.