Hyderabad, June 3 : One person was killed when a bomb suspected to have been planted by Maoists went off in a forest in Telangana's Mulugu district on Monday.

The incident occurred near Kongala village in Vajedu mandal of the district bordering Chhattisgarh. A group of five men had gone on a hillock to collect firewood. One of them stepped on a bomb suspected to have been hidden by Maoists, resulting in the explosion. He died on the spot.

The victim has been identified as Yellandula Yesu (55), a resident of Jagannathpuram village. Four others fled in panic and alerted villagers.

Upon receipt of the information, police personnel rushed to the forest. They cautioned the villagers against visiting the spot due to apprehension of Maoists planting landmines in the area.

Police went on alert over the suspected presence of Maoists in the region and launched the combing operation.

Telangana Police have been maintaining vigil in areas bordering Chhattisgarh in view of the heightened Maoist activity in the neighbouring state.

Over the last decade, police have successfully contained Maoist activity in Telangana with a tight vigil in the districts bordering Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

/IANS