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On 10 January 2013, news broke out in the audio visual and print media about the Maoists surgically inserting an improvised explosive device (IED) in the body of a CRPF jawan killed in operations. This evoked strong reactions from all sections of the country cutting across political lines. The CRPF men had been ambushed in the Karmatiya Forest of Latehar District on 07 January. Ten police personnel were killed in the ambush, nine of whom were from the CRPF and one was from the state's special anti-Naxal force 'Jharkhand Jaguars'. Four civilians also lost their lives later while recovering the bodies of the dead policemen, some of which were booby trapped.
Of the police casualties, four persons were killed in the afternoon of the 7th. Their bodies were recovered only on the 9th and were then airlifted to Ranchi. The two intervening nights gave the Maoists adequate time to surgically plant the explosive device in the stomach of the dead policeman. The bomb was found after doctors noticed amateur stitching on the body of the deceased policeman. This triggered the suspicion and an X-ray confirmed the presence of the bomb. The Times of India compared the incident with events in Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar winning film ‘Hurt Locker’, stating that the circuitry was wired and stitched to trigger a blast as soon as the autopsy would have been performed. As per the news report, the bomb that was planted inside the body weighed over two kilograms. Explosives were placed inside an iron container and the device was connected to a power source attached to it. The Pioneer stated that a solar panel was also extracted from the abdomen.
Such an incident is the first of its kind to have been witnessed in India. It could have proved lethal had it exploded at any time prior to detection and especially so when the body was being air lifted.
Body cavity bomb was first tried out on a member of Saudi royal family by an al Qaeda operative. In August 2009, Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, who was also the Saudi Deputy Interior Minister in charge of counter-terrorism, survived an assassination attempt by an al-Qaeda operative Abdullah Hassan al-Asiri, who concealed explosives within his rectum. The would-be assassin had claimed he was giving himself up. He had said he would try to persuade others to surrender as well - but only if he could meet the Prince in person. The Saudis had flown the “repentant” terrorist from near the border to Riyadh. Though searched before meeting the Prince, his body bomb was not detected. He exploded in presence of the Prince. Internet reports suggest that Saudi television had shown the bomber’s arm blown through the tiles of the suspended ceiling. A bare foot stood alone on the floor. The torso was sheered away below the waist. Bits of flesh stained the white furniture. Prince bin Nayef escaped with minimal injury.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Service in 2009 had issued a bulletin to several airlines in which it cautioned that it had “identified a potential threat from terrorists who could surgically implant explosives or explosive components in humans. According to some reports bombs could be concealed within “abdomens, buttocks and breasts, allowing suicide bombers to pass undetected.”
Dr Robert J. Bunker in his report “The Projected Al Qaeda Use of Body Cavity Suicide Bombs Against High Value Targets” talks about six body placement options namely Explosive Clothing Bomb, Medical Cast Bomb, External Belly Bomb, Prosthesis Bomb, Under Fat Roll Bomb (in case of overweight individuals) and Body Cavity Bomb. He further goes on to mention that in Nepal, in 2005, a soldier’s body had an improvised explosive device placed within it (no post-mortem was carried out and the bomb exploded during cremation); and in Afghanistan in 2007, a news headline began with “Insurgents planting IEDs inside human corpses…”.
Notwithstanding, the inhuman angle of the present incident, it substantiates the determined approach of the Maoists in spreading terror, not just by planting mines under the dead bodies, but by taking it a step further. Terror organisations are quick to learn and adopt methodologies of success in one area into another as has been proved here again. This should send alarm bells ringing for all security forces engaged in anti-terror operations. Training of all personnel with the use of mine detectors and equipping each team with Hand Held Metal Detectors may be an immediate need. But for the long term Full Body Scanners could well be considered to secure high value locations and airports.
The author is a Research Fellow at CLAWS
Views expressed are personal.
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