Nepal's Armed Police Force chief Krishna Mohan Shrestha, his wife and a bodyguard were shot dead by suspected Maoists in suburban Kathmandu on Sunday morning.

Shrestha, his wife Nudup and a policeman guarding them were attacked near their residence at Bagdol-Sanepa while taking a stroll at around 7.30 am, an official at the prime minister's office said.

An eyewitness said about 20-25 people, suspected to be Maoists, opened around 30 rounds of fire from close range and ran away under the cover of the early-morning fog.

While Shrestha and and his bodyguard died on the spot, Nudup succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital, police
said adding a civilian was injured in the incident.

Shrestha had been appointed inspector general of the Armed Police Force about a couple of years ago when it was
constituted to fight Maoist insurgency.

This is the first time that the rebels targeted a top-level security official.