Dhamtari: Three CRPF personnel and a civilian were killed after their vehicle rammed into a stationary truck in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district on Saturday, police said.
Commandos from the Central Reserve Police Force’s elite CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) unit were involved in the accident that occurred around 8 am near Khapri village on the Dhamtari bypass on Jagdalpur-Raipur National Highway, Superintendent of Police Suraj Singh Parihar said.
He said that the deceased personnel belonged to the 201st battalion of the CoBRA, PTI reported.
The accident occurred when four CoBRA personnel along with the civilian driver were heading to Raipur from Jagdalpur — the headquarter of Bastar district — to travel to their native places on leave, the official said.
He said while a jawan and the driver were killed on the spot, two other personnel succumbed to injuries while being taken to hospital.
Prima facie, it appears that the driver may have dozed off at the wheel, causing the speeding vehicle to crash into the truck parked on the roadside, Parihar said.
He said the deceased have been identified as CRPF personnel Saurabh Tomar, Mukesh Kumar and Rajkumar God, and driver Heeralal Nagar. Another CoBRA commando, Abhiman Rai (28), was injured and has been referred to Raipur for further treatment, he added.
The CRPF and its elite unit are extensively deployed in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, for anti-Naxal operations.
