Ranchi, June 14: At least five officials of the Jharkhand police have been killed in an attack carried out by left-wing extremists in Saraikela district, close to the industrial region of Jamshedpur, on Friday. Security personnel have launched a search operation to nab the Naxal assailants.

The killing of policemen has come as a major setback for the state's security establishment, which has undertaken a coordinated programme to reduce the operational space for Naxals in the state. IED Blast by Naxals in Seraikela on May 27 Left 11 Security Personnel of CRPF And State Police Injured

Chief Minister Raghubar Das has expressed angst and sorrow over the demise of policemen, saying that their martyrdom would not go in vain.

Tweet by Raghubar Das:

The Maoist ambush comes days after a jawan of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) was killed in an encounter with the insurgents in Jharkhand's Dumka district.

Earlier, on May 1, 15 anti-Maoist commandos and the driver of their bus was killed in an explosion carried out by Maoists using the improvised explosive device (IED).

The Naxal strike was preceded by a similar assault in Chhattisgarh's Bastar during the campaigning of Lok Sabha elections 2019. The attack left 5 people dead, including the BJP MLA from Dantewada, Bheema Mandavi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 14, 2019 08:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).