Maoists kill elderly man in Odisha

Armed Maoists Friday killed an elderly man in Odisha's Malkangiri district, police said.

The Maoists dragged 65-year-old Prabhakar Madkani from his home at MV 79 village (Malkangiri village) and shot him dead, District Superintendent of Police Akhileswar Singh told IANS.

Madkani was the father of a panchayat representative. Police officials were sent to the area for investigation, he said.

The latest killing comes a day after about 30-40 rebels kidnapped six people, including a village ward member, from Chintalwada and Ramaguda village, about 25 km away from MV 79. They are still being held captive.

Police have intensified the search operation in the area to locate them, Akhileswar Singh said.

The villages where these incidents took place are about 700 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.

The police officer said the Maoists have lost their grip on people due to the setting up of a Border Security Force (BSF) camp in the area. Besides, massive combing operations in the region have raised the confidence of the people.

The rebels are also frustrated because people are not cooperating and have, therefore, resorted to terror tactics like abduction and killing, the official said.

Maoists are active in more than half of Odisha's 30 districts. Malkangiri is considered to be one of their strongholds.