Tribal suspected of being 'police informer' shot by Maoists in Odisha; cops deny informant claim

Odisha: Maoists shot a tribal man in Kalimela area of Malkangiri district in Odisha suspecting him to be a police informer, police said. A group of around 20 Maoists stormed into the house of Ganga Madkami, at Sudhakunda village and dragged him out of his house late on Wednesday, said Jagmohan Meena, Malkangiri superintendent of police. [caption id=“attachment_4561581” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image: PTI[/caption] The red rebels forcibly took Madkami (30), to a deserted place on the outskirt of the village and shot him dead, he said. The assailants told the villagers that Madkami was eliminated as he was working as an informer for the police and helping them in anti-naxal operations, according to the police. Meena said the body of the slain villager has been recovered and investigations are in progress. Combing operations and patrolling in the area have been intensified by the security forces in the aftermath of the killing, he said. Meena also made it clear that Madkami was not working as a police informer. The killing of the tribal comes barely ten days after a village head, also a tribal, was seriously injured in the district when suspected Maoists shot at him on 11 June.