4 Naxals held, 3 firearms seized amid polling in Chhattisgarh

Four Naxals were arrested and three firearms seized from them in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district Thursday while polling was underway in the state's Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, a police official said.

The Naxals, belonging to Maad division of Maoists, were apprehended from Bedre area in the morning when a joint team of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and district force was out on an area domination operation, the official said.

"Three weapons were also recovered from their possession," he added. In the wee hours Thursday, Naxals detonated an IED (improvised explosive device) in Narayanpur district, which comes under Bastar constituency, police said. No casualty was reported in the blast.

A thick security blanket, comprising around 80,000 state and paramilitary personnel, has been thrown across the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency. Seven candidates are in fray in Bastar constituency. 

-PTI