A police constable was killed while two others including a Central reserve Police Force personnel were injured in a landmine blast triggered by Communist party of India-Maoist at Dainmari in Naxal-hit Ghatsila sub-division of East Singhbhum district on Thursday.
Superintendent of police (rural), Ranji Prasad said that the security personnel were on a long-range patrolling following a tip-off about Maoist activities at Dainmari and the vicinity when the encounter began.
In the ensuing landmine blast, one constable identified as Rajesh Kumar Saw, the bodyguard of sub-divisional police officer (Ghatsila) Aneesh Gupta, was killed while a district police jawan Ganesh and a CRPF havildar Vinod suffered minor injuries.
The district police launched a combing operation as part of securty build-up in the run up to the assembly polls in neighbouring West Bengal and the recent assault of some villagers by a group of Maoists. Additional forces rushed to the spot and a massive search operation was on in naxal-hit Dainmari and vicinity bordering Belpahari in Bengal.