Four BSF officers, including a Commanding Officer, were killed on Friday in an IED blast by suspected Maoists in Malkangiri district of Odisha.
The BSF squad was targeted at around 1pm in the Janbai area of the district, under Chitragonda police station area, 465 kms from here, and its jungles are a Naxal hotbed as it touches the borders of two other states-- Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, making it a corridor for Maoists.
According to initial reports, the officers were returning in their vehicle after attending a meeting with the district administration.
The victims have been identified as Commandant (107 battalion) GR Khaswan, his Second-in-Command Rajesh Sharan, Inspector Ashok and Assistant Sub-Inspector and radio operator of the squad Jitendra.
A Border Security Force (BSF) company is located in the area where the blast occurred.
The area witnesses a huge inter-state movement of armed Maoist cadres, a senior official said.
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