Three training camps of Maoist guerrillas were destroyed in a police action in Simdega district of Jharkhand Wednesday. Rifles and explosives were recovered from the camps, police said.
The police were engaged in a gun battle with Maoist rebels at the camps in Sarangpani village of Simdega, 160 km from Ranchi.
"We raided the Maoist hideout on a tip-off. When the rebels were asked to surrender, they opened fire. A gun battle took place and lasted for more than two hours," a police officer said.
"One Maoist rebel has been arrested. Some have been killed. We are yet to recover their bodies. Three training camps have been destroyed," the officer added.
Police have seized six rifles which were looted from policemen, two revolvers, explosives, detonators and Maoist literature from the hideouts.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) called for a strike Wednesday protesting the price hike of essential commodities, particularly food grain and vegetables. The impact of the strike was seen in rural areas. Long-route buses were not plying and roads wore a deserted look.