Patna, Sept. 3: The body of a Bihar Military Police constable, Lucas Tete, one of the four policemen taken hostage by the Maoists five days ago, was found lying on a deserted forest track in Lakhiserai district on Friday morning, contrary to the Maoists’ claim on Thursday that they had killed sub-inspector Abhay Yadav.
Even as Tete’s cold-blooded murder by the rebels put the Bihar government and the police on tenterhooks, there was no information available about the safety of the three other policemen still being held in captivity at an undisclosed location in southern Bihar.
The Maoists stopped communicating with journalists over the phone after their deadline for the release of these hostages expired at 10 am Friday.
The rebels’ claim of having killed Abhay Yadav, the highest-ranking policeman among the four hostages, remained shrouded in mystery and raised speculation about the safety of Yadav and the two others. But search and raid operations by joint security forces were stepped up in Lakhiserai and Munger districts on Friday as part of a new strategy to secure the safe release of the hostages, said sources.
A hand-written note found near havaldar Tete’s bullet-riddled body reiterated the Maoists’ demands — the release of eight Maoists from various Bihar jails.