By IANS
Ranchi : Recovery of a pen grenade and a paper bomb from Maoists in Jharkhand has rung alarm bells for the state police.
The police in West Sibghbhum district recovered a pen grenade Tuesday after a raid on the hideout of Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT) in Saranda jungle.
“We recovered a pen grenade from a hideout of Maoist rebels,” Sudhir Kumar Mishra, superintendent of police of West Singhbhum, told IANS.
“The grenade is in the form of a pen and is an improvised explosive device (IED),” he said.
Asked about its efficiency, he said, “Only experts can say anything about its efficiency. We will send the pen grenade to experts for detailed examination.”
Last month, the police recovered paper bomb from Jhumra hills of Bokaro district. The explosive is hidden between two sheets of paper and looks like an ordinary file or a children’s storybook.
The security personnel found 800 grams of RDX hidden in the recovered paper bomb.
Jharkhand police spokesperson R.K. Mallik said, “This is first time that such a bomb has been recovered from the Maoists. Experts are analysing the bomb.”
According to sources, the Maoist rebels are already in possession of hi-tech wireless sets capable of tapping communications of security personnel. Rebels also possess weapons like AK 47 rifles and 9 mm pistols among other things.
The Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts of the state. In the past seven years, more than 1,000 people, including 614 civilians and 290 security personnel, have been killed in Maoist violence.