By IANS
Bhubaneswar : At least 13 people, including 12 policemen, were killed when Maoist guerrillas attacked three police stations and looted a government armoury in Orissa’s Nayagarh district, officials said.
Rajesh Kumar, the Nayagarh district police chief, told IANS that more than 500 armed Maoists simultaneously attacked three police stations, a government armoury, a police training centre, and some police posts Friday night.
A group of rebels, including some women guerrillas, attacked the district police headquarter at Nayagarh, about 85 km from here, as well as a nearby armoury and police training centre at about 10.30 p.m.
Other groups of Maoists barged into police stations at nearby Daspalla and Nuagaon towns, attacked policemen and looted weapons, Kumar said.
While the Maoist virtually lay seize on Nayagarh town for more than three hours, they continued their attack in other places till early Saturday.
“They have looted a large quantity of arms and ammunitions during their raids that continued for more than three hours,” Kumar said.
He added that at least 13 people, including 12 policemen, were killed during the shootout between policemen and Maoists. Four people were injured and two of them are said to be critical.
The rebels had also sealed all the entry and exit points of the town to prevent the movement of vehicles during their operation. They even sealed the entry to the district police chief’s residence.
The state government has sounded a high alert in Bhubaneswar and its neighbouring Cuttack and hundreds of armed policemen as well as paramilitary forces have been dispatched to the affected regions.