Patna, July 1: Heavily armed Maoist rebels attacked two police outposts in Rohtas district last night and killed seven persons, including five policemen.

Numbering between 250 and 300, the Naxalites surrounded two outposts in Rajpur and Baghela in Bikramganj subdivision, five kilometres from each other.

They blasted landmines and hurled grenades before opening fire on the policemen, who were caught off guard by the late-hour attack.

Inspector-general of police Anil Sinha said among the dead were four constables, a havildar, a village chowkidar and a resident of Baghela, around 175 km from Patna.

Five injured policemen have been sent to a hospital in Varanasi.

Different teams led by police superintendents of adjoining districts are following the trail of the retreating Maoists.

“An encounter is going on near Obra in Aurangabad district even as we speak,” said Sinha at 5pm.

The police officer, while not ruling out possibilities of Naxalite casualties in the Obra crossfire, confirmed that seven weapons, including some of the 16 that the rebels looted last night, have been seized so far.

Maoist shot dead

A top-rung Maoist leader was gunned down today in Warangal — the second such casualty for the rebels in 10 days.

Forty-eight-year-old C. Papa Rao alias Somanna carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head. He was a senior member of the North Telengana region special zone committee.