Ejaz Kaiser By

Express News Service

RAIPUR: A lightning strike on Sunday triggered serial IED blasts at Samri in Balrampur district, about 370 km north of Raipur. Luckily, there was no reported loss to life or property.

The banned CPI (Maoist) had planted as many as 56 IEDs along the route in the Naxal-affected Pudang area of Samri, north Sarguja zone, with the intent to ambush the troopers who were expected to cover the area during their patrol duty and operations ahead of the general elections.

“It appears the Maoists might have placed beneath so many IEDs ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to target the security forces in the region. A flash of lightning is believed to have struck and ignited the serial IED blasts of not very high intensity. There was no reported loss of life or property from the incident. The Balrampur SP has been asked to probe into it,” the Sarguja range inspector general of police K C Agrawal told the Express.

The serial blasts, however, has spread terror among the people residing in the region. The CRPF and other forces are put on alert and the landmine protected vehicle has been sent to the area.

Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district adjoining the Jharkhand state is cited to have a presence of Maoists.