Bhubaneswar, June 18 (IANS) At least nine policemen were killed after their vehicle was blasted by Maoists in Orissa’s Koraput district Thursday, police said.
The rebels triggered the landmine blast when the vehicle was passing through a forested area under Narayanpatna block, they said.

The victims include eight personnel of the Orissa Special Security Force (OSSF) and a police driver, deputy inspector general of police Sanjeeb Kumar Panda told IANS.

All of them died on the spot and the vehicle was damaged.

“A police team has reached the spot and retrieved the bodies. They reached the spot several hours after the incident because the rebels attacked them when they were on their way. There was also an exchange of fire,” Panda said.

Koraput, some 500 km from here, is considered a Maoist stronghold. Earlier this week, Maoist supporters under the banner of the Chasi Mulia Sangha occupied hundreds of acres of farm land of non-tribal people in the region and hoisted red flags on the land.

Hundreds of non-tribals have fled from their homes as the supporters of the ultras have unleashed a reign of terror in the area, police said.