Shopkeeper killed by Naxals on suspicion of being informer

A shopkeeper was killed by suspected Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Kawardha district accusing him of being a police informer, an official today said.

The bullet-ridden body of Hemprasad Sharma (50) was found on the banks of a stream near his village Bolda under Jhalmala police station limits this morning, police said.

Bolda is on the border of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, around 200 km away from Raipur.

As per the preliminary investigation, around a dozen rebels arrived in the village last night and asked Sharma, who ran a grocery shop, to come with them, a local police official said.

Sharma's body was found in the morning, he added.

A police team was rushed to the village after learning about the incident.

According to some villagers, Naxals accused Sharma of being a police informer, the official said. He was not associated with police in any way, the official added.

He might have refused to supply groceries to the Naxals which could have angered them, he said.

A search operation was launched in the area to track down the killers, he said.

According to senior police officials, the Naxals are trying to set up a base in the forested tri-junction of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, comprising districts of Balaghat, Gondia, Rajnandgaon, Mungeli and Kawardha.