3 Maoists gunned down in encounter in Jharkhand

Three members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) were gunned down in an encounter with security personnel in West Singhbhum district here on Saturday, police said.

A team comprising CRPF 94 Battalion personnel and Khunti district police launched an operation around 7 am following a tip-off that members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) had assembled in forests near Chirungreda village, Superintendent of Police Indrajeet Mahata said.

The Maoists opened fire at the security personnel, who gunned down three Naxalites in retaliatory action, he said.

Police recovered their bodies and seized rifles, bullets and ammunition from the spot, he added.

Mahata said a few other members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) managed to flee.

In another incident, a group of Maoists detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) near a house in Dholabani village of the district around 12.45 am on Saturday, police said.

Security personnel reached the spot shortly after the blast. Seeing them, the Naxalites fled, a police officer said.

However, before escaping to nearby forests, the ultras shot at a friend of the owner of the house near which the IED exploded. He had informed the police about the incident, he said.

According to the officer, the injured man is undergoing treatment at MGM Hospital in Jamshedpur and his condition is stated to be critical.

Three motorcycles parked near the house were gutted after they caught fire due to the blast, he said.

Further investigation into the incident is underway, the police said.