At least ten policemen, including an additional superintendent of police (ASP), were feared killed in a Naxal ambush inside a forest at Ammamala in Raipur district late on Monday evening, police said.
“A 10-member search party led by ASP Rajesh Pawar was ambushed by Naxals at Ammamala when they were returning after conducting search operation in Dantunama area bordering Sunabeda reserve forest in Orissa. All the 10 policemen were missing. We are not able to maintain contact with them since last one hour. Two search and rescue teams of security personnel rushed to the area to locate them,” additional director general of police (ADG) (anti-Naxal operations) Ramniwas told this newspaper.
However, a senior police officer told this newspaper requesting anonymity that all the 10 members of the search team may have been killed in the Maoist attack.
“We have received preliminary reports that all the ten policemen were killed in the Naxal ambush. We are waiting for confirmation of the report,” the police officer said.
According to him, the search team was returning in a trekker when their vehicle developed snag in the forest. The Maoists, who were hiding in the forest, first triggered a landmine blast targeting them and then opened fire on them killing all the 10 policemen.