Aurangabad:
Five security personnel, including three policemen, were killed today when armed Maoists attacked them during the construction of a tunnel in Bihar's Aurangabad district, 200 km from capital Patna.
Bihar's Director General of Police Abhayanand said the three policemen belonged to the Special Auxiliary Police Unit while the other two deceased were private security guards at the site of the construction of a tunnel in the district.
Around 50 armed Maoists arrived at the under-construction tunnel in Goh area in Aurangabad and exploded bombs in a bid to destroy it. However, the tunnel suffered minor damages in the attack, Mr Abhayanand said.
The encounter started when a police contingent reached the spot for reinforcement on getting the information about the attack, following which the Maoists fired at the security personnel who retaliated.
Any casualty or injury on the side of the Maoists could not be ascertained. A combing operation was on, the DGP said.