The Maoists on Wednesday night set fire to the Internal Revenue Department’s branch office at Banke’s Kohalpur, destroying property worth Rs. 4 million.

At around 11.00PM Wednesday, a group of armed Maoists barged into the office, took the employees hostage at gunpoint and set the office building on fire after looting valuable goods, reports today said.

The rebels made off with a computer, a printer, a television, a VCD player and some other belongings of the employees.

The fire has damaged parts of the building including furniture and documents. While moving out, the rebels also set ablaze a Toyata jeep and a motorcycle belonging to the office.