Personnel of the the Anti Naxal Squad (ANS) and Central Reserve Police Force’s 141 and 42 battalions on Tuesday unearthed seven booby traps allegedly laid by Maoists in the Mallampeta forest cover that shares a border with Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, in Chintoor Agency. None of the personnel who participated in the combing operation was hurt.

On October 8, the ANS and CRPF personnel had unearthed 10 booby traps and recovered hundreds of bamboo arrows in the Mallampeeta forest cover.

The Maoists recently adopted the traditional booby trap strategy, in which they dig trenches and plant bamboo arrows and later cover the trenches with the leaves to trap the security personnel.

East Godavari SP M. Raveendranath Babu said that civilians including local tribal people and government staff could have been caught in the booby traps had they passed the forest cover for any purpose.

“Our personnel have unearthed the booby traps without registering any untoward incident. Hundreds of bamboo arrows planted by the Maoists have been recovered from the traps”, said Mr. Babu.