Maoists gun down two Chhattisgarh cops

RAIPUR - Maoist guerrillas Tuesday gunned down two policemen in Chhattisgarhs restive Bastar region, officials said.

The killings took place in Pamer area in Bijapur district, about 500 km south of here.

A group of about 20 armed Maoists sprayed bullets on the two constables, identified as Ritesh and Rajendra, when they had gone out of the Pamer police station to buy some items nearby.

The policemen died on the spot, officials at the police headquarters here told IANS.

Maoists have a strong presence in 13 of Chhattisgarh’s 18 districts while they dominate in seven districts. Officials say that roughly 2,100 people have been killed in Maoist violence in the state since it came into existence in November 2000.