RAIPUR, Aug 30: Maoists shot dead 12 Indian policemen in an ambush in the densely-forested central state of Chhattisgarh, police said on Thursday.

The 12 slain policemen were part of a 42-member security team dispatched to clear Maoist landmines in Dantewada district, 500 kilometres from state capital Raipur, late on Wednesday.

“We have received information about 12 bodies recovered,” police official R.K. Vij said in Raipur.

He said a heavily-armed security posse of around 300 soldiers had been sent to hunt down the Maoist guerrillas in Dantewada.

“The contingent is being provided with air support,” another senior official said as the state administration pressed a helicopter gunship into the search.

The official said scores of Maoists were involved in the ambush.

“The security men were simply outnumbered as they were trapped from all sides by rebels,” the official said, adding that the Maoists faded away into thick jungle after the guerrilla-style attack.

The insurgents, who launched their campaign in 1967 and today operate in 14 of India's 29 states, say they are fighting for the rights of landless farmers.—AFP