Maoist rebels in east India kill 8, including 6 policemen

Patna: At least eight people, including six policemen, were killed in a gunbattle with Maoist rebels in the eastern Indian state of Bihar on Thursday, police said.

Guerrillas riding motorcycles fired on a police van in the Raniganj area, a Maoist stronghold.

The dead include one civilian and a rebel.

The forces walked into a Maoist trap after it was informed that criminals were looting a nearby bank, an official said.

"But when the police rushed to the spot, they were attacked," said S.K. Bhardwaj, a chief of anti-Maoist operations.