Eight improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by Naxalites were recovered by security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, officials said on Sunday.

The IEDS, weighing 2-3 kilograms each, were detected near Atkhadiyapara village under Koyalibeda police station limits when a joint team of 30th battalion of Border Security Force (BSF) and District Reserve Guard was out on a demining operation on Saturday, a BSF official said.

“The operation was launched based on specific inputs about IEDs in the area. The explosives, seven of them packed in a steel tiffin and another in a pressure cooker, were buried by Naxalites to target security personnel. The recovery averted a major tragedy. The IEDs were neutralised by the bomb disposal squad,” he said. Hailing the operation, Anand Pratap Singh, Inspector General of BSF’s Frontier Headquarter, Bhilai (Durg district), said the force is committed to the safety of citizens and will continue to take such action with promptness and bravery.