Maoists kill three tribals in Gadchiroli suspecting them of being police informers

The Maoists believed that the deceased were police informers and they killed them to avenge their alleged involvement in the two encounters with security forces in the forests of Kasnasur-Boriya and Nainer that killed over 40 Maoists in April 2018.

Suspected Maoists on Tuesday morning killed three tribals in a jungle near Kasansur in south Gadchiroli, some 250 kms from Nagpur and bordering Chhattisgarh, on suspicion of being police informers.

Police said the trio, along with three others, were kidnapped by Left-wing extremists two days ago. The victims were shot dead and their bodies thrown in the open on Tuesday morning.(PTI/Picture for representation)

According to reports reaching here at the anti-terrorist squad (ATS) regional headquarters, bodies of the three villagers were found near Kosfundi Fata under Tadgaon police station on Tuesday morning.

Police said the trio, along with three others, were kidnapped by Left-wing extremists two days ago. The victims were shot dead and their bodies thrown in the open on Tuesday morning.

The deceased were identified as Malla Doge Madavi, Kanna Reenu Madavi and Lalsu Masa Kudyeti. All of them were residents of Kospundi village in Bhamragarh.

The Maoists believed that the deceased were police informers and they killed them to avenge their alleged involvement in the two encounters with security forces in the forests of Kasnasur-Boriya and Nainer that killed over 40 Maoists in April 2018.

The south Gadchiroli divisional committee of CPI(Maoist), after dumping the bodies on Tuesday morning, put up a banner next to them that read, “Our comrades lost their lives. These three informers of police who were responsible for the deaths of 40 of our comrades have been sentenced to death by us.”

The rest of the villagers have taken refuge at the police station in Gadchiroli, reports said.

It was said that around 100 armed rebels entered the village on Friday night and rounded up the villagers. They reportedly kidnapped six villagers and released three later.

Over 40 suspected Maoists were shot dead by security forces in two separate encounters in the area in April last year. While 34 Maoists were killed in the jungles of Rela-Kasnasur on April 22, the rest were eliminated in a forested area near Nainer the next day.

Two senior leaders of CPI(Maoist) — Srinu alias Srikanth and Sainath alias Dolesh Madhi Atram — were among those killed.

During the period, posters put up by left-wing extremists across south Gadchiroli had claimed that they would avenge the “murder” of their comrades in what was “clearly a violation of human rights”. They also vowed to punish the “traitors” who facilitated the police operations.

Additional superintendent of police of the area, Hari Balaji, said senior police officers rushed to the spot and the area was cordoned off after the incident.