Maoists trigger blast at new jail building

Malkangiri (Orissa) (PTI): Maoists triggerred a blast at a new jail building which was under construction at MV-79, about 60 km from here early on Monday, causing substantial damage to it, police said.

There was no injury due to the explosion as the building was still under construction, superintendent of police S K Gajbhiye said.

There was nobody inside the structure when the blast took place in the early hours.

The building, however, suffered considerable damage as a major portion of the structure collapsed under the impact of the blast, whose sound created panic among the residents, he said.

Senior police officials reached the site and started investigation, while a high alert was sounded in MV-79 area and a massive combing operation and patrolling launched to trace the ultras involved in the incident, he said.

As a precautionary measure, Orissa's borders with naxalite affected Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been sealed after the incident to prevent movement of maoists from one state to another, police said.