Six policemen were killed in a landmine blast set off by suspected Maoist insurgents in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand on Saturday, police said.
The policemen were returning to their post after completing an operation against Maoist rebels in Latehar district 160 km from Ranchi early on Saturday when the blast occurred, according to Jharkhand police spokesman Satya Narayan Pradhan.
The rebels belonged to the banned Communist Party of India Maoist group, he said.
Separately, seven Maoist rebels were arrested in Bokaro district, about 130 km away, police officials said, in a foiled attempt to blow up a railway station. Police recovered explosive materials from those arrested.
In impoverished Jharkhand state, where insurgents say they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers, more than 1,350 people have been killed in Maoist related violence over the last seven years.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described insurgency as the gravest threat to India's internal security.