Ranchi, Nov 29 (IANS) Security forces in Jharkhand killed a Maoist rebel in a gun battle Saturday, police said.”On a tip off, we raided a hideout of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) situated in a jungle near Dibu Jagra village where more than 20 rebels were holding a meeting to execute a big attack on security forces,” a police official said.

He said when security forces asked the Maoist rebels to surrender, they retaliated and one of them was killed. The gun battle lasted for more than two hours.

Police have seized Maoist literature and explosives, among other things, from the rebel.

The gun battle between security forces and CPI-Maoist took place near Dibu Jagra village, around 70 km from Ranchi.

Maoist rebels are active in 18 of the 24 districts of the state. In last seven years, more than 1,300 people, including civilians and Maoist rebels, have been killed.