Suspected Maoists have killed the second-in-command of Sankrail Police Station of West Midnapore district in Bengal and abducted its officer in charge.

According to sketchy initial reports the policeman killed is second officer Dibakar Bhattacharya.

The ones abducted are Officer-in-charge Atindranath Datta and Assistant Sub Inspector Swapan Roy.

The attack that took place at around 2 in the afternoon.

Maoists had initially targeted a bank next to the police station. They had reportedly come with sophisticated firearms.

There were not many policemen when the attack took place.

Sankrail is a block comprising 10 gram panchayats and a population of more than a lakh (0.1 million) and is located about 200 kms to the west of Kolkata.