Suspected Maoists on Thursday shot dead three villagers, including an elected member of a local rural body in insurgency-plagued districts of Bijapur and Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh after holding them captive for over a week, the police said.
Bullet-ridden body of Bhotraj Sodhi, member of a local panchayat body, was found at Usoor in Bijapur district.
Sodhi was abducted by a group of armed Naxals when he was coming out of a church in the locality after offering prayer on October 24.
“The rebels have left a letter near the body claiming responsibility for the killing branding him as a police informer,” a senior district police officer told this newspaper.
In another incident, bodies of two villagers, who were kidnapped by ultras from their villages on October 29 on suspicion of being police informers, were found in Rajnandgaon district.
Bodies of victims — Gopi Kureti (38) and Rajendra Kureti (36) — were on Thursday morning dumped by Maoists on roadside at Morargota.
While Gopi belonged to Adjhal village, Rajendra hailed from Taado village in the district.
A police team rushed to the area.
Meanwhile, police opened fire on two minor girls at Goragaon in Bijapur district allegedly mistaking them to be Naxals.
While Kamala (14) sustained bullet injuries and was battling for her life in a hospital at Jagadalpur in Bastar district, Sushila escaped unhurt.
Reports reaching here said a search team of security personnel opened fire on the two girls when they were returning their homes after taking bath in the village pond. The police kept mum on the incident.
Sources quoting Kamala said the search team was chasing the local area Naxal commander Nagesh, who passed by the village. However, before fleeing the village, Nagesh suggested the two teenagers to stay put in the pond to avoid the police suspicion. He warned them that if they tried to run away, the police would attack them thinking them to be Naxals.
Scared, the teenagers, however, reportedly tried to flee the area, inviting police action, reports said.
In another incident, six suspected Maoists were arrested at Bhairamgarh in Bijapur district following combing operations by the security personnel.
EOM/