On spotting some wires on Wednesday between Badalu and Rangamati in Silli Block, about 60 km from Ranchi, the villagers informed the police who defused the 30 kg landmine three hours before Mahto's vehicle drove through the road.
"The villagers spotted the explosives and informed the police," Mahto, who represents Silli assembly constituency, told PTI over phone on Thursday.
"I was supposed to pass the route to witness a football match at the Rangamati play ground around 2 pm and the police found the landmine around 11 am," Mahto, who later attended the match, said.
Mahto is the second Jharkhand minister to have escaped extremists' attack.
In September 2005 Rural Development and Transport Minister Enos Ekka had claimed he was the target when a couple of personnel of his escort party suffered wounds when a bomb went off in Simdega.
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