Hostage issue: CRPF personnel killed, 4 abducted persons freed

Ranchi: One CRPF personnel was killed and 15 others were injured in serial blasts carried out by Maoists in Jharkhand`s Giridih district on Monday to foil search operations by security men to rescue four abducted persons. The abducted persons were, however, freed.

"There was a fierce encounter and under pressure from the security men, the Maoists left the four persons and fled," Superintendent of Police Kranthi Kumar told. "One CRPF jawan (Badal Roy) died and 11 CRPF personnel and four Jharkhand Jaguars were injured in the blasts," a statement from the CRPF said. Sources said a sub-inspector of CRPF lost his legs in the deadly attacks. Officials said the search teams witnessed as many as 13 Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts during the operation involving 350 personnel of the joint forces launched to create pressure on the Maoists to rescue the abducted men. The four were abducted on Saturday from near Navkania village situated in the foothills of Parasnath after Maoist intercepted their car, Kumar said, adding driver Rajendera was let off by the rebels. The abducted persons were engaged in activities under social security pension and MG-NREGA, Giridih district officials said. Helicopters were used to evacuate the injured personnel, four of whom are reported to be critically injured in the landmine blasts carried out simultaneously. The search operations were carried out jointly by the special anti-Naxal unit of state police called Jharkhand Jaguars and three teams of CRPF to rescue Sai Vamsi Vardhan, a fellow of the Prime Minister Rural Development scheme, Chandradev (village level worker), Shambu (gram rozgar sevak) and Maksood Ansari (panchayat sevak).