Sixteen policemen, including an inspector and a sub-inspector, were on Thursday killed in a Naxal attack at Tawitola in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, police said.
The attack took place when a police party was on routine patrolling near Dhanora.
The police inspector, who led the 16-member team killed in a Naxal attack at Gadchiroli
district, had not informed any senior officials prior to setting out and could have been lured into an ambush by the insurgents, a top police official said here on Thursday.
"After recent attacks by Naxals, we had given strict instructions that in the area the force should not move out except in sizeable numbers and heavily armed," Director General of Police S S Virk said.
"However, in this case the inspector in-charge seems to have started off in two vehicles with a team without informing anyone possibly because he was given some tip-off," he said.
The information could have possibly been given by Naxals to lure the police party into a trap, he said, adding that further details were still to be obtained on the incident.
"When the inspector realised it was a trap he managed to convey the information but before reinforcements could be sent the entire 16-member team was killed in the attack," Virk said.
