Maoists kill villager on suspicions of being police informer

Maoists killed a villager suspecting him to be a police informer and torched as many as five vehicles engaged in a road construction work in Odisha's Koraput district.

Koraput, Nov 20: Maoists killed a villager suspecting him to be a police informer and torched as many as five vehicles engaged in a road construction work in Odisha's Koraput district, a senior police officer said today.

A group of armed Maoists stormed a camp of the construction company at Bhitarakota village under Pottangi police station on Friday and abducted some labourers and villagers, who were taken inside the dense forest, the officer said.

The Maoists held a meeting inside the forest and released the villagers and labourers in the evening with threat of dire consequences if they supported road construction work. The ultras also took away the mobile SIM cards of the villagers fearing they might inform police about the incident, they said quoting a delayed report.

However, the group of Maoists returned to the camp site around night and torched the vehicles and murdered one Jayaram Khillo of the village.

Due to the remoteness of the area, the incident came to light only yesterday, they said. "The Maoists slit the throat of Khillo.... We have seized Maoists posters from the spot," said Dev Gomang, Inspector In-Charge of Pottngi police station.

Officials said a 10-km road under 'Pradhan Mantri Gramya Sadak Yojana' was under construction from Sorisopadar to Bhitarakota at an estimated cost of Rs 6 crore with around nine km stretch already completed.

PTI