Two Maoist rebels killed in Jharkhand

Ranchi, April 7 (IANS) Two Maoist rebels were killed in a gun battle lasting over three hours with the police in Gumla district of Jharkhand Tuesday, the police said.

Acting on a tip-off, a police squad raided a Maoist hideout near Salgi village of Gumla district, around 160 km from Ranchi Tuesday afternoon, but were fired upon when they asked the rebels of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) to surrender.

The police retaliated, killing two PLFI rebels in gun battle that lasted over three hours. A carbine and a 9mm pistol were recovered from the killed rebels.

According to the police, the PLFI members were holding the meeting to chalk out their strategy for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Maoist rebels have called a boycott of the polls.

Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts of the state. About 1,450 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the last eight years.