RAIPUR: A van carrying 60 LPG cylinders was looted by the Maoists on Monday when it was headed for distribution in villages and a security camp in Sukma district of Bastar region in Chhattisgarh.
Based on complaints lodged by the vehicle driver, the teams of District Reserve Guards went out on search and recovered the van abandoned in forest after they chased away the Maoists.
While it’s suspected that Maoists wanted to use gas cylinders in intensifying the effects of IEDs, officials also said it could be an attempt to create hurdles for security personnel in camps.
This is the first time in Chhattisgarh that Maoists targeted and looted LPG cylinders, while the exact purpose and their strategy is being deciphered.
Speaking to TOI, Sukma SP Sunil Sharma said, “There was a possibility that as part of new strategy, Maoists were planning to use the gas cylinders for welding of their weapons and once emptied, they can fill explosives in cylinders and use it as IEDs. This would have intensified the impact of the blast. Such tasks were carried out in Kashmir, Malkangiri and Jharkhand in the past. But whatever their plan was, it has been foiled.”
He said if they wanted to create obstacles in cylinders reaching security camps, they would have preferred to torch the vehicle on road rather than looting it and taking it ten kilometres inside the forest towards their core zone.
SP said that the van carrying 60 cylinders, few empty, was on its way to Bhejji from Injaram for delivery in a residential location and CRPF camp. But the Maoists intercepted the vehicle near Gorkha village and beat up the driver and helper and looted the vehicle along with cylinders. Their mobile phones were snatched away and they were allowed to go. Later, the duo went to Bhejjipolice station and reported the incident following which, a team of DRG rushed to the spot.
Chasing down the Maoists to Nagaram, about ten kilometres inside Gorkha and 97 kilometres from headquarters, the DRG succeeded in recovering the vehicle and Maoists retreated into deep forests, SP said. CRPF’s 219th battalion joined the operation and assisted the DRG team to safely evacuate with van from the core area of Maoists and it was brought to Gorkha camp.
