Gaya (Bihar), August 21
Six persons, including four Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) jawans, were killed and five others injured in an encounter between the police and activists of the banned CPI (Maoist) at Raniganj here today.

On being informed about armed men encircling the Raniganj branch of the Punjab National Bank, a police team, led by the officer-in-charge of Imamganj police station Chandra Prakash, rushed to the spot, DIG (Magadh Range) Praveen Basistha said.

The armed activists of the ultra-Left outfit started firing indiscriminately at the police, leading to the encounter, he said. Four SAP personnel, a customer and a Naxalite were killed in the heavy exchange of fire.

Five others, including the officer-in-charge, an assistant sub-inspector of police and two SAP men, suffered injuries in the encounter, the DIG said. The Naxalites also looted five self-loading rifles from the SAP jawans, he said. The injured were sent to the A.N. Sinha Medical College and Hospital here for treatment. Senior police officials were camping at the spot to oversee the combing operation in the forests to nab the ultras. — PTI