Maoists set 15 trucks on fire in Chhattisgarh

Armed Maoists Friday went on a rampage at an iron ore mining point in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh and set 15 trucks and an excavator vehicle on fire, police said.

Ultras dressed like villagers intercepted the convoy of trucks at Kirandul and burnt down the vehicles, but fled when police reached the site surrounded by hills on two sides, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Narendra Khare told IANS.

He said no civilian or policeman was injured in the act of arson.

The trucks were on way to a steel plant in Kirandul for supplying iron ore to a plant in Visakhapatnam.

Khare, who put the number of attackers in dozens, said the Maoists asked the drivers and their helpers to come out of the trucks and then sprayed petrol on the vehicles and set them ablaze.

After police heard about the incident, a team was immediately sent to the spot. Taking cover of the dense vegetation, the Maoists opened fire at the police team, who retaliated and forced the insurgents to flee. 

The rebels have been frequently targeting vehicles at Kirandul and nearby areas for the past three years.