Ranchi, Mar 28 (PTI): Ten Maoists were killed in an encounter with a splinter group of the CPI (Maoist) near a village of Chatra district, police said today.

The Maoists were killed in an encounter with the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) last night.
"Bodies of 10 Maoists were recovered near Lakramanda village. They were killed during an encounter with the TPC last night," Chatra Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar told PTI over phone today.

Superintendent of Police Anup Birtheray has reached the spot.Lakramanda village under Kunda police station of Chatra district is about 100 km from here.
Birtheray said the encounter between the Maoists and the TPC cadres began last evening and lasted till the wee hours today.

"As personnel of the COBRA battalion and district police had reached the area, the rebels could not take away the bodies. Six weapons were also found from the spot," he said.
The TPC also rang up a media house claiming it also kidnapped 15 other Maoists and looted some weapons.

Asked about this, Birtheray said the police did not have any such information.
The TPC was formed in 2002 after a number of CPI (Maoist) cadres in Jharkhand quit the organisation following difference of opinion on various policy issues.

The outfit had declared that its main enemy was not the police but the CPI-Maoist.

TPC's stronghold areas include Latehar, Chatra and Palamu districts of Jharkhand and the organisation is engaged in a turfwar with the Maoists for quite some time.