Chhattisgarh: Naxals using effigies, dummy weapons to confuse security personnel

Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district are continuously fine-tuning their strategies and tactics in order to maintain their relevance in the region. On Friday, a group of Naxals installed scores of effigies in the forest area in order to mislead and confuse security personnel about to their presence.

Moreover, the forces recovered Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing 7 kilograms from near one of the effigies. The IED was buried under the mud and connected with a power source at a distance of about 2 metres. It was later diffused by the Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) personnel.

"When our forces went for area domination, they found three effigies installed in the region. These effigies also had dummy weapons like AKM and SLR made of wood which looked real. Our forces first thought that Naxals are present in the area and immediately cordoned off the area. It is a new strategy adopted by Naxals to confuse the forces and to create panic among them," CRPF's 150th Battalion Commandant Dharmendra Singh told ANI.

"Naxals feel that security forces will start firing the effigies in confusion and they can attack our forces from behind. This strategy can also be used to scare our jawans during night operations," he added.

Sukma is known to be a Naxal hotbed, with encounters and attacks taking place nearly on a weekly basis.

Earlier in the week, nearly 10 Naxals were gunned down by security forces in an encounter, while one District Reserve Guard personnel sustained injuries in the cross-firing.

-ANI