Latehar (Jharkhand), Jul 20 (PTI) A 35-year-old forest tracker was beaten to death and four others were injured in Jharkhand's Latehar district allegedly by Maoists who accused them of being police informers, a senior officer said on Thursday.

The incident occurred in Durup Panchayat under the Netarhat Police Station limits, about 150 km from the state capital Ranchi, on Wednesday night when a group of around 15 Maoists barged into the house of the forest tracker and assaulted him with sticks and traditional weapons, Latehar superintendent of police (SP) Anjani Anjan said.

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The deceased has been identified as Dev Kumar Prajapati, who was engaged as a forest tracker on a daily wage basis in the Palamau Tiger Reserve, another officer said.

In a message to villagers, the Maoists asked them to "leave the work of being police informers and SPO)". It was written in Hindi on the wall of Prajapati's house in red ink after he was killed.

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The red rebels also asked them to "emphasis on anti-displacement, migration movements and real problems of Jharkhand people".

"Maoists killed the person. Local police reached the spot and an investigation has been initiated. Raids are being conducted,” the SP said.

The police also suspected that the squad of Chhotu Kharwar, a Maoist leader, was involved in the killing of the person.

Around 14-15 Maoists visited two villages on Wednesday night, another police officer said.

The red rebels first went to Purnadih village where they thrashed three villagers and then moved to Dona Durup village where Prajapati was beaten to death, and another villager was injured there, he said.

Four injured persons are undergoing treatment at local hospitals, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)