Bokaro, June 12: Maoists today killed 10 security personnel, including eight special task force (STF) jawans in a landmine-protected vehicle, in attacks at Bermo and Nawadih in Bokaro district.

About 50 armed rebels, reportedly led by wanted Naxalite Navin Manjhi, swooped on State Bank of India’s Phusro Bazaar branch in Bermo around 1.15pm, minutes after Rs 1 crore was deposited in the DVC account.

They split into groups. One attacked a policeman guarding the bank, snatched his rifle and tried to enter the bank. Seeing colleague Bandhu Oraon in trouble, another policeman, Raju Lohra, rushed to help, but was shot dead.

A second group of Maoists triggered a blast near an empty four-wheeler, causing panic in the crowded market. They shot a constable and snatched his rifle and picked up three more rifles from a police vehicle before disappearing into a forest in Nawadih, 17km from Phusro.

An STF team of 13 jawans set out for Phusro around 2pm in response to a police SOS. Their landmine-protected vehicle had barely reached the dense Sarubera forest, 5km from Nawadih, when it was blown up by a landmine blast.

DGP V.D. Ram said a probe was on into why the vehicle could not withstand the blast.