At least one policeman was killed and three others injured when armed Maoist insurgents attacked the security forces at Ranjha Chowk of the mid-western town of Nepalgunj Saturday morning.

A gunbattle started at around 11:45 a.m. after the Maoists opened fire at police personnel on duty at a security post at Ranjha Chowk near Nepalgunj Airport, reports said. Policeman Karna Bahadur Tarami died on the spot while three Armed Police Force (APF) officials were injured.

Confirming the incident, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said Tarami was in civilian dress when he was shot dead by the Maoist gunmen.

Nepalgunj remained tense for hours following the clash while most of the fights from Nepalgunj Airport were cancelled. A Buddha Air airplane that was about to touch down at the airport had to return to Kathmandu due to clash.

Security forces have been deployed in the Nepalgunj and surrounding areas in search of the Maoists, reports added.