Hyderabad: Khammam police defused a booby trap placed by the Maoists on the state highway near Ramachandrapur in Venkatapuram police station limits on Sunday.
The Maoists placed two buckets, one of which was empty, to trap the cops.
The other was loaded with an Improvised Explosive Device that could have exploded causing considerable damage.
Bhadrachalam additional SP R. Bhaskaran, an IPS officer, said, "The Maoists placed two buckets on Saturday night on the road. We received information about it early on Sunday and immediately cordoned off the area.
After taking adequate precautions a bomb disposal team from Khammam was pressed into service. The first bucket was a dummy. The other had explosives and we neutralised it. It was a deception. The buckets were not kept underground as Naxals usually do.”
The road leads to Chattisgarh. Interestingly although the bomb was placed on the road many people were passing by.
Police said the Maoists must have placed the bomb as part of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army week celebrations.
