A villager lost a leg in an IED blast in Jharkhand’s Gumla district on Saturday afternoon, when he had gone to the nearby forests to graze his goats when he accidentally stepped upon the improvised device planted inside the jungle, police said.

Gumla SP, H.P.Janardhan said that the injured has been identified as Mahendra Mahto(27), and has been sent to Ranchi via helicopter in the evening for better treatment. Mahto hails from Marwa village of Gumla.

Police learnt about the incident hours after the incident when he was brought to local Sadar hospital by his family for preliminary treatment.

“He was spotted unconscious and badly hurt in the forest when one of his family members had gone looking for him. They then brought him to the sadar hospital in an auto, 20 kilometres away, when police came to know about the incident. He lost his left leg,” said a police officer.

Terming the incident as unfortunate, Janardhan said that villagers are being targeted by rebels.

“We will ensure proper treatment of the victim. Initially, we gave his family Rs 20,000 for treatment as immediate financial assistance. For better treatment, we sent him to Ranchi via air,” he said.

The incident comes three days after a CRPF jawan sustained serious injuries in an IED blast during counter insurgency operation in the district. He is currently undergoing treatment in Ranchi.

On February 15, a Jharkhand police officer, Duleshwar Paras, got killed in a similar blast during anti-Maoist operation in the neighbouring Lohardaga district.

His body was laid to rest in the presence of his family members, villagers and police and civil officers at his native village Katimba under Albert Ekka( Jari) police station in Gumla on Wednesday.