Police, Maoists
exchange fire in Chautara
CHAUTARA, Sindhupalchok, Feb 15
(PR) - Maoist guerrillas attempted to capture the Bahrabise-based Area
Police Station, situated on the Araniko Highway, in a pipe bomb attack
Wednesday night. Rebels and police exchanged fire for about one and a half
hours, police here said.
However, the rebels fled the
scene soon after the Jaletar-based Royal Nepal Army (RNA), about half a
kilometre north of the police post, threw a searchlight in a bid to
protect the post from falling into rebel hands.
According to police, the rebels
hurled the four feet long pipe-bombs, made of an electric pole, from the
east of the police post at about 1.30 a.m.
Police opened 40 rounds of fire
at the rebels after one of the pipe-bombs went off. The bomb, which caused
minor damage to the communication room, was detonated about 200m away from
the site. Another two unexploded bombs were defused by the RNA. Eyewitness
said that the rebels retreated early Thursday.
In the third week of January, rebels
looted a cargo truck on the highway, killing a customs inspector at Jambu,
about 3km north of the area police station. Ramche and Maneswora VDCs,
located close to Bahrabise bazaar, are believed to be the Maoist
stronghold.
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