Raipur, Mar 26 (PTI) A 55-year-old tribal woman was critically injured after a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxals went off in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, police said.

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The blast occurred in the afternoon when the victim, Kartam Jogakka, a native of Metlacheru village under Bhadrakali police station limits, was grazing her cattle in a nearby forest, an official here said.

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“While passing through a dirt track in the forest, the woman set foot on a pressure IED, which exploded. She sustained serious injuries on her right leg,” he said.

After being alerted by locals, a team of security personnel rushed to the spot and the injured woman was shifted to a community health centre in Bhopalpatnam town, the official said.

The Maoists often plant IEDs on dirt tracks to target security personnel who use these routes during anti-Naxal operations in forests. Civilians have fallen prey to such traps laid by ultras in the past in Bastar region, police said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)