Two police personnel were critically injured in an ambush by activists of the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit in Jharkhand's Lohardaga district on Friday, police said.
During a search operation in Shahi Ghat area, Maoists exploded an IED and fired upon a police team, in which two personnel were critically injured, a senior officer said.
The policemen returned fire at the red rebels, following which they escaped into the dense forest, Lohardaga Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Jitendra Kumar Singh told PTI.
The injured police personnel Upendra Singh and Arvind Pandey were airlifted and admitted to a hospital in Ranchi, he said.
Additional police forces and CRPF personnel have been deployed in the area and a search operation is underway, the officer added.