Maoists kill man suspecting him to be police informer, torch 5 vehicles

Red menace returned to haunt the tribal-dominated Kandhamal district in Odisha with the ultras killing a man suspecting him to be a police informer.

The rebels brutally killed Nilakantha Malliick by slitting his throat at Pokharibandha Reserved Forest in Baliguda on Monday. They also put up banners and posters on the spot.   

The Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of the CPI (Maoist) claimed responsibility for the killing and warned people against working on behalf of the police. 

The Maoists also set ablaze five vehicles of a private company at Sudra locality under Baliguda police limits today.

On October 11, police had gunned down a woman Maoist in an encounter. The encounter took place during a combing operation launched by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and District Voluntary Force (DVF) following input that a Maoist camp was positioned in the forest. 

When the combing team carried out search operations in the forest, a group of Maoists opened fire at them. The security personnel fired in retaliation and the exchange of fire lasted for hours. 

After the encounter, the security squads conducted further search and found the body of the woman Maoist and a gun. However, 20 Maoists reportedly fled the spot. Protesting the police atrocity, Maoists’ wing Lal Bahini has called a bandh.