Ranchi, Aug 27 - One person was killed when Maoist guerrillas ambushed a police jeep in Jharkhand's Latehar district and fired at security personnel, police said Thursday.

A Special Armed Police (SAP) personnel was shot dead and another injured when their jeep was attacked late Wednesday in Latehar's Chormunda valley, 145 km from here. The exchange of firing went on for more than one-and-a-half hours.

The SAP personnel were returning to Netarhat when the attack took place, police said.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of Jharkhand's 24 districts. According to police estimates, nearly 1,500 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the last eight years.