KORAPUT: Maoists on Friday killed two persons, including a village headman, in Malkangiri district on charges of working as police informers, a day after special director general of BSF B D Sharma visited the district to take stock of ongoing anti-Naxalite operations ahead of Martyrs' Week observed by the rebels.

Each year, the Maoists observe the week from July 28 to August 3 to pay homage to their companions killed in police encounters.

On Friday early morning, a group of armed rebels swooped down on Badliguda village in Kalimela police limits around 2 am and dragged village headman Ganga Madkami and another villager, Deba Padiami, out of their houses and shot them.

"They were beaten up before being shot from close range. Both of them died instantly. The bodies have been recovered and autopsy will be conducted," said SP (Malkangiri) Akhileswar Singh.

A Maoist letter recovered from the crime spot said the two was terrorizing people and working as police informers.

"Ganga and Deba passed information to police on our organization. They terrorized our cadres in villages and used to urge them to surrender. Warnings were issued to them to mend their ways, but they didn't pay heed to that. So, they were punished," read the one-page letter written in Odia and signed by the secretary of Malkangiri Divisional Committee of the CPI (Maoist), Poonam Chandra.

The letter warned others of similar consequence if they dared to help police. Police have rejected the charges. "We never received any information from the deceased duo. The reason of their killing is under investigation," the SP said.

