Sniffer dog killed, handler injured in Maoist blast

A handler of a sniffer dog was injured while the canine was killed in an IED blast by Maoists in Buda Pahar area of in Naxal-hit Latehar district today, a senior police officer said.
The IED blast occurred during a search operation by security personnel of District Armed Police and Cobra battalion in Buda Pahar, where an encounter had taken place last week, to unearth IEDs allegedly planted by the rebels. Superintendent of Police, Dhananjay Singh said.
'Aminika', a sniffer dog belonging to Cobra battalion, was killed while its handler P K Samal sustained injuries in his face and eye in the explosion, Singh said.

In another incident in the district, Maoist ultras set ablaze four vehicles at a bridge construction site at Ganeshpur Chatam under Garu police station.
Singh said the Maoists torched two dumpers and two tractors engaged by the construction company to build a bridge over Koel river and assaulted workers engaged at the site.
The ultras used diesel from the vehicles to set them ablaze, he said, adding they fled to the nearby jungle thereafter.