Security has been beefed up in the western town Nepalgunj after an overnight attack on Tuesday by Maoists that left eight dead. Officials said the dead included two policemen, an army soldier, one civilian and four rebels. They said six police personnel have been injured and are being treated in the hospital. The casualties took place at a ward police office the rebels had mainly targeted as they launched attacks also at other places of the town simultaneously to keep security personnel engaged. The fighting that lasted for two hours on Tuesday night came five days after the rebels launched another major attack killing six security personnel in the same town. Officials said more than 200 rebels had stormed different offices of security agencies. They said security checks have been intensified at different places of the town and troops have been mobilised to the nearby rural areas. Nepalganj had been an easy target for the rebels who began their insurgency from the nearby hilly districts like Rolpa and Rukum. The recent attacks have come in the wake of the Maoists' warning that they would disrupt the municipal polls slated for February 8. The government has said the Maoists' violence and the opposition by major political parties would not deter it from holding the elections.