BIJAPUR: A 40-year-old tribal woman was killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Sunday, police said.The blast occurred around 5:30 pm on Bottamarka Hills under the Usoor police station limits, where the victim had gone to collect mahua fruits, an official said.He said Sushila Sodhi, a resident of Sodhipara in Usoor village, accidentally stepped on an IED, triggering the blast. She sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Usoor Community Health Centre, where she died during treatment, the official said.With this incident, seven villagers have been killed and six others injured in similar IED blasts in Bijapur district since January 2024.Maoists often plant IEDs along roads, dirt tracks and forests to target security personnel patrolling in the interiors of the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.Civilians and cattle have fallen prey to such traps laid by ultras in the past, police said.On Saturday, a woman was seriously injured in a similar explosion near Bodga village under the Bhairamgarh police station in Bijapur.
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