Patna, Nov. 30: Three policemen were killed and two others were injured when suspected Maoists attacked 13235 Sahebganj-Danapur Intercity Express near Jamalpur this evening.

The rebels also looted five weapons — an AK-47, an Insas rifle, an SLR (self-loading rifle), a carbine and a .303 rifle — from the policemen, who were escorting the train.

However, there was no report of casualty of any passenger on the train, which was attacked between Ratanpur and Jamalpur stations in Munger district, around 175km east of Patna, in a densely forested area. The train was stopped near a tunnel and bullets rained on it from outside, suggesting a planned attack.

This is the second attack on a passenger train on the route under Malda railway division of East Central Railway in the past six months. On June 13, the Dhanbad-Patna Intercity Express had been attacked at Kunder Halt in Jamui district in which three persons, including a Railway Protection Special Force jawan, were killed.

Police said that the train, quite crowded with homebound weekend passengers, was stopped around 5.30pm near Patam village, a few metres away from the Patam railway halt by pulling the emergency alarm chain. As soon as the train stopped, armed Maoist squad members started indiscriminate firing on the women’s compartment, adjacent to the guard’s coach, in which the security personnel were travelling.

The securitymen retaliated but were overpowered. Three of them were killed and two others suffered serious bullet injuries. The deceased have been identified as havildar Ashok Kumar, constables Bhola Thakur and Uday Shahi. The injured jawans — Mohammad Imtiyaz and Vinay Kumar Singh — have been admitted to Jamalpur railway hospital.

While Thakur was posted with the Government Railway Police (GRP), the constables were attached to the Bhagalpur-based 12th battalion of Bihar Military Police (BMP).

Malda divisional railway manager Ravindra Kumar said the women’s compartment of the train had been disconnected after the attack.

“Another team of security men escorted the train on its journey towards Jamalpur,” he said.

Deputy inspector-general (Munger range) Sudhanshu Kumar said combing operations had been launched. Echoing DIG Kumar, Jamalpur railway superintendent of police Amitabh Kumar Das said the motive of the Maoists behind the attack was to snatch sophisticated weapons and not to harm the passengers. A contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force from Munger district headquarters has been rushed to the spot.

DRM Kumar said the train driver informed the Jamalpur railway station manager about the attack. He did not rule out the possibility of some women squad members travelling in the train, who were assigned to pull the chain. The last stop before Jamalpur was Bariarpur, around 12km from away.

The sources said a woman passenger was also injured in the attack. The train was halted at Jamalpur railway station for more than two hours before it started at 8.30pm on way to Danapur.

Intelligence Bureau officers said they had alerted the railways about more such attacks after the June 13 incident on the vulnerable stretch.