Ranchi SSP injured; driver, one Maoist killed in gunfight

A senior police official was injured, while his driver and a Maoist guerrilla were killed in a gun battle with a group of insurgents on Tuesday on the outskirts of the Jharkhand capital, police said.

Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prabhat Kumar, who was injured in the gunfight in Khuti district, was rushed to a hospital, an official said.

Police said Prabhat Kumar along with a police team went on an operation after receiving information about the presence of a few Maoists in the area.

When the police team reached the spot, the Maoists surrounded them and started firing at the police vehicle.

In the firing, the SSP sustained bullet injuries on his hand and chest and his driver was killed.

One Maoist guerrilla was also killed when the police team retaliated.

The Ranchi SSP was first admitted to the Khuti Sadar hospital and after initial treatment, he was referred to Ranchi.

He was admitted to a hospital in Ranchi and, according to doctors, was out of danger.