Ranchi, September 28: Two CRPF personnel were seriously injured in an IED blast in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district on Thursday and one of them died later in the course of treatment in Ranchi, police said. The two CRPF personnel belonging to its elite Cobra battalion were grievously injured in the blast near a forest between Tumbahaka and Sarjomburu villages in Tonto police station area of district during a combing operation against the Maoists by security forces, the police said.

CRPF constable Rajesh Kumar and Inspector Bhupendra Kumar were airlifted Ranchi for treatment, IG Police Operations Amol V Homkar told PTI. "Rajesh Kumar of 209 Cobra battalion succumbed to his injuries during treatment," he said. Jharkhand: 10-Year-Old Boy Dies After Maoist Planted IED Explodes in West Singbhum District.

Bhupendra Kumar is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ranchi, the IG added Apart from CRPF's Cobra battalion, Jharkhand Jaguar of the state police and district armed police were involved in the combing operation against the Maoists, the police said. Naxal Encounter in Chhattisgarh: Two Female Naxals Killed in Dantewada, CRPF Jawan Injured in IED Blast.

Several security forces were injured in the past few months in such incidents. In August two personnel of the Jharkhand Jaguar Force were killed in a gunfight with Maoists in the same area. Nine Maoists were gunned down by security forces in 16 encounters in the state so far in 2023, while another 236 were arrested including a central committee member and area commanders till July this year.