Churchu (Hazaribagh), Sept. 28: A Maoist attack in Churchu, 23 km away from the district headquaters, was said to be the third worst attack in the past 15 days.

In an intelligence lapse, Maoist extremists took advantage of dilapidated buildings around the police station late on Tuesday night to carry out a well-planned attack on security forces.

Superintendent of police Praveen Kumar Singh today, admitted that the extremists, who took positions behind the buildings, gave his jawans a tough time.

About 50 to 60 Maoist extremists had carried out the raid in the town, which is known to be a Maoist stronghold. Sources said the extremists had planned the attack to trap the security forces.

The rebels had planted landmines in a number of places connecting Churchu to Hazaribagh. Singh acknowledged that he was aware of the mines and said police teams, who had rushed to the scene, had used forest areas to get there.

But as the information about the attack reached the senior officials, instructions were passed on to the jawans, ordering them not to fire indiscriminately at the extremist outfit.

According to the officers, indiscriminate firing would result in a loss of cartridges, giving the extremists an upper hand.

Sources said the jawans of the Jharkhand armed police showed exemplary courage in the situation and continued firing according the instructions received.

The extremists fled the scene after a three hour gunbattle with the police. They had apparently received a tip-off that a large team of security forces would be reaching the scene shortly.

Officers said the group of Maoists concerned had at first pasted posters in officers? colony of Gomia in Bokaro.

Later, the outfit split in two groups. One moved to Churchu to target the police station, but failed to commit any major incident.

The area around the police station turned into a cantonment with large numbers of policemen and CRPF jawans.

Raids were made in forest areas today in search of the extremists.

The attack on the police station was the third largest attack of extremists in the state within fifteen days after Bhelwaghati massacre in Giridih and the ambush on the escort party of minister Anosh Ekka.

Insiders termed Tuesday?s incident as an intelligence lapse and said extremists were reorganising after going through their worst phase in the past few months. In the Bhelwaghati incident on September 11, 15 members of a village protection group were massacred. Around 300 CPI-Maoists activists were suspected to be involved.