Nine security persons were killed and 30 injured - 10 of them being in critical condition - in a Maoist ambush on Tuesday in Jharkhand's Lohardaga district, around 125 km northwest of capital Ranchi. A special task force, comprising the CRPF and district police, walked into a rebel trap around 1.30pm near Dhardharia waterfall, around 25 km from the district headquarters at Lohardaga.
The team was out on a raid, following a tip-off about a rebel meeting.

Director general of police GS Rath said the state police headquarters had no information about the operation.

"Even the IG (Operations) was not informed."

He said an assistant director general of police had been asked to probe the lapses.

Said sub-inspector PC Deogam, a district police officer who was part of the team: "As soon as we reached the waterfall, we heard an announcement on microphone, asking us to lay down arms. In a few seconds, serial blasts ripped the area and I was thrown several feet away from where I stood."

Injured jawans said the rebels triggered nearly 50 blasts, mostly landmines and pressure bombs. Rescue teams, with the help of locals, carried the injured jawans, many of them with missing limbs, to hospitals.

CRPF assistant commandant RK Singh lost one of his legs in the attack. Eight jawans were airlifted to Apollo Hospital in Ranchi.

Sources said several rebel commanders, including Nakul Yadav and Puran Ganju, participated in the ambush, the biggest one so far this year in the state, where all 24 districts are Maoist-affected.