Rahe (Jharkhand), Dec 6: Maoist rebels have killed five policemen in an ambush in Jharkhand’s Rahe village.

The policemen were returning to their station on Friday after checking a bank said to be the target of the Maoist rebels at Rahe village near the state capital Ranchi.

The rebels ambushed the police jeep in a forest, a police spokesperson said.

“Five of our policemen were out on patrolling and en route they conducted a check on a bank. While returning, they were attacked by the Maoists from the bushes. The Maoists fired at the personnel, all of whom died on the spot,” said S. M. Pradhan, spokesperson, Jharkhand police.

The Maoists also took away the guns of the policemen.

The Jharkhand police see the attack as retaliation by the rebels for killing of one of their members by the police.

The police have sounded an alert in the nearby areas for the rebels and are conducting a combing operation to search for them.

The gun battle took place in a Maoist hub where the rebels had stolen 50 million rupees and three kilos of gold after way laying a bank delivery van in May.

The Maoist rebels say they have been fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers since late 1960s. (ANI)