Security forces killed two suspected Maoists in a gun battle in the Barmasia forest area on the borders of Lakhisarai and Jamui districts early on Sunday morning.

A joint team of the Central Reserve Police Force's specialised unit for jungle warfare CoBRA, the state police's special task force and the district armed police conducted the operation based on a tip-off of Maoist movement in the forest under the jurisdiction of Barhat police station in Lakhisarai district, around 150km east of Patna.

The security forces were combing the area when around 5.30am, the troops led by Lakhisarai additional superintendent of police (ASP) (operations) Pawan Kumar spotted some heavily armed Maoists between Barmuha and Barmasia villages. Two rebels were killed in the gun battle that followed.

The ASP said some other of the rebels also suffered bullet injuries in the five-hour-long operation but managed to escape. Blood stains were found on the trail the Maoists took the flee.

Two bodies were recovered and two .303 bore assault rifles were seized.

The identity of the killed rebels is yet to be ascertained, but they are suspected to be Maoist cadres from Chhattisgarh. "Two rifles, a magazine and liquor pouches were recovered from the spot where the Maoists had gathered," said Jamui assistant superintendent of police D.N. Pandey.

The bodies of the two rebels have been brought to Barhad police station in Lakhisarai and efforts are on to ascertain their identities, he said.

ASP (operations) Pawan said the search operation was launched on Saturday evening following a tip-off that armed squad members from Chhattisgarh led by a guerrilla leader named Nilesh had taken shelter in the forest close to Giridih district of Jharkhand.

Dharmendra Kumar, the assistant commandant of the 131st battalion of the CRPF stationed at Jamui, said search operations in the villages considered to be Maoist hotbeds will continue.

On May 12 this year, a fierce gun battle took place between the security personnel and the rebels in Jamui.

Though there was no report of any casualty in the exchange of fire, a huge cache of weapons and explosives was seized in that operation.

The Maoists had then fled into the forest under the jurisdiction of Nawada district.