Indian paramilitary force (CRPF) soldiers conduct a search operation close to the spot where Maoist leader Kishenji was shot during an encounter with security personnel in a jungle area at Burisole.—AFP Photo

NEW DELHI: Maoist rebels ambushed a patrol team in central India on Tuesday, killing at least 15 paramilitary policemen, a police official said.

The policemen were travelling through a densely forested area of Maharashtra state when the rebels set off a land mine, blowing up their vehicle, the official said.

Another 13 policemen were wounded in the powerful blast, he said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting for more than three decades in several Indian states, demanding land and jobs for agricultural labourers and the poor. They frequently target police and government officials, whom they accuse of colluding with landlords and rich farmers to exploit the poor.

The rebels are now present in 20 of India's 28 states and have an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 fighters, according to the Home Ministry. Thousands of people _ including police, militants and civilians _ have died in the violence in recent years.

Police and paramilitary soldiers were searching the area in Gadchiroli district where Tuesday's attack took place, but the rebels fled after they set off the land mine, the official said. Additional troops were also sent to the Gadchiroli region in northeast Maharashtra, which is considered a rebel stronghold.

On March 14, the rebels abducted two Italian men who were trekking through a remote forest in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.

One of the men was released unharmed over the weekend, but the other is still being held, and negotiations with the government are ongoing.

The Maoists want the government to call off all anti-rebel operations in Orissa and release rebel leaders from jail before they agree to release the remaining hostage.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the Maoist rebels the biggest internal threat to India's security. In 2010, he announced ''Operation Green Hunt,'' a push to flush out the rebels from their forest hideouts.