A 40-year-old man was found shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside a forest at Agali area in Palakkad district, police said.
Though the area is known for Maoist presence, police said they had so far not come across any evidence to suspect that the victim was shot dead by Maoists.
The victim, Benny, had gone for fishing in a river in the forest with a companion last night.
Around midnight he was fired at from behind the trees, police said.
The shocked companion ran away from the spot and called the nearby villagers and later informed the police about the incident. By the time they reached the spot, Benny had died, police said.
The victim was running a photo studio at Mukkali near Agali, a tribal area surrounded by forests on the slopes of the Western Ghats.
A few months back, suspected Maoists had vandalised a Forest Department office at Mukkali.
