Chaibasa, May 31 (PTI) Two persons, including a constable, were killed as Maoists opened fire on a police team in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district on Sunday, a senior officer said.

On receiving information about Maoist movement in Porahat forest, a police team was out on a search operation in Jonua village when the rebels opened fire from behind a row of houses, Superintendent of Police Inderjeet Mahata said.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir | 105 More COVID-19 Positive Cases Reported in UT, Total Cases Stand at 2446: Live Breaking News Headlines & Coronavirus Updates, May 31, 2020.

Police retaliated, but it was a difficult situation as the Maoists pushed women and children in the front before opening fire from behind the houses, he said.

Constable Lakhinder Singh Munda and Special Police Officer Sundar Swarup Mahato were killed, the SP said.

Also Read | Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra Express Reservations on Running Special Trains from June 1: Indian Railways.

The constable was the bodyguard of Additional Superintendent of Police-cum-SDPO (Chakradharpur) Nathu Singh Meena. Special Police Officers or SPOs are recruited in the rural areas to assist the police, mainly in counter-insurgency operations.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)