At least 18 policemen were feared killed in an ongoing encounter between the Jharkhand police and members of the banned Naxalite outfit Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) in Singhbhum district in Jharkhand.

Jharkhand DGP R R Prasad told rediff.com that the encounter began on Friday morning in the forest near Manoharpur, but did not comment on the casualties.

However, sources in the district police told rediff.com that at least 18 policemen died in the encounter and a senior police official is critically injured.

Sources said that the cops, along with Orissa police personnel, were returning after a joint operation against the MCC when one of their vehicles hit a landmine.

More reports from Jharkhand