Nepal's Maoist insurgents have shocked the nation again by abducting six civilians, including the wives of security personnel and a one-year-old boy, and murdering them.

The victims were abducted from Kailali district in farwestern Nepal Monday, the army said. The Royal Nepalese Army's farwestern regional divisional headquarters in Dipayal town said six bodies were found Tuesday in the Chaumala forest in the district.

Three of the victims were the wives of Armed Police Force personnel.

Radha Devi Singh, 42, was the wife of constable Man Bahadur Singh, Durga Devi Aiyar, 22, was the wife of constable Upendra Aiyar, and Laxmi Shah, 23, was the wife of constable Keshav Shah.

Laxmi's one-year-old son Dipendra was also abducted with his mother and killed, reports said.

Two men, Ganesh Bishwokarma and Prem Lal Bhul, who were staying in the house of head constable Dharma Bahadur Bishwokarma, were also abducted and slain.

The rebels arrived at the house Monday evening, looted money and marched off the six, the reports said. The house was said to be about 200 metres from the camp of the Armed Police Force.

The incident came less than a week after the guerrillas triggered international condemnation by ambushing a passenger bus and killing 42 passengers.