Hyderabad: Maoists attacked a local train in Andhra Pradesh (AP) at around 1200 hrs IST killing three constables of the Railway Protection Force(RPF).
An Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of the RPF, who was injured in the attack, died at the hospital where he was admitted for treatment taking the death toll upto four.
The security personnel were travelling in the local Vijaywada Raigarh passenger train, when a group of Maoists stormed the compartment and opened fire and looted a cash box contaning Rs 7.5 lakhs which was to be distributed as salary for the Raigarh staff of the RPF.
"The Maoists, numbering about 10, surrounded the train and indiscriminately opened fire. Some of the security personnel got off the train and retaliated," Vizianagaram Superintendent of Police Bhavana Saxena said.
She said that a joint team of AP and Orissa police have launched a combing operation to nab Maoists in the jungles bordering AP and Orissa.
Saxena said that atleast three Maoists have been injured in the retaliatery fire by the RPF.
A few passengers were also injured in the gun battle and while some of the Maoists were also reported to be injured but they managed to escape.
Koneru Railway Station where the incident happened is close to the Danda-karanya forest area, a hotbed of Maoist activities for a long time.
Earlier, Maoists blasted a government guest house using detonators and attacked Sileru Police Station using rocket launchers on Saturday in the neighbouring Visakhapatnam district, police said.
They also killed a former sarpanch K Bhaskar in Warangal district branding him as a police informer on Saturday night.
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