Land mine blast in Lakat

Midnapore, June 7 (UNI) A land mine, planted by suspected Maoist militants in Lakat, under Lalagarh police station area, damaged a police jeep that was returning from an overnight patrol here this evening.

The police party was near Binpur I Block when the land mine exploded. However, the police personnel escaped unscathed since the jeep, which was moving at a slow pace, was only partly damaged.

Exchange of fire took place for half an hour.

A police team led by SP R Rajshekharan and Eastern Frontier Rifles have reached the spot.

Combing operations were on to nab the assailants. However, the SP said that no arrests had been made.

Maoist activities in Lalgarh have become a cause for concern with three CPM leaders and six policemen killed and six journalists seriously injured in a land mine explosion in Jhitka forest near Lakat where today's incident occurred.

Police have blocked the entire area through tension still prevails there.

UNI