Bijapur, May 13 (PTI) Two boys were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said on Monday.
The blast occurred in Bodga village under Bhairamgarh police station limits on Sunday, and the relatives of the victims and villagers brought the bodies to Bairmagarh on Monday, they said.
The village is located more than 400 km away from the capital Raipur.
As per preliminary information, Laxman Oyam (13) and Boti Oyam (11) were plucking tendu leaves in the forest near the village when they came in contact with the IED, triggering the blast, an official said.
"Maoists had planted the IED to target security personnel in the area, he said.
The Maoists plant IEDs along the road, on dirt tracks and in forests to target security personnel patrolling in the interiors of the Bastar region.
Civilians have fallen prey to such traps in the past, police said.
With this incident, five persons have been killed in IED blasts in separate places in Bijapur district in the last one month.
On May 11, a 25-year-old woman was killed when a pressure IED planted by Naxalites went off in the Gangaloor area of the district when she was engaged in collecting tendu leaves, while a man was killed in Gangaloor on April 20, and a worker engaged in road construction work died in the Mirtur area on April 12.