Hazaribagh, Oct. 7: Maoists today burnt the tower of Airtel, a private telecom company, in Dhotawa area of Katkamsandi at 6am.

A hit squad led by Naxalite area commander Krishna Yadav reportedly visited the spot and damaged the tower, said sources. Owing to this, mobile phone connectivity was severely affected this morning.

Superintendent of police Praveen Kumar Singh confirmed the fire and said that a team of police and STF jawans has been sent to inspect losses in Dhotawa, a stronghold of Maoists. The village is situated about 50km from the district headquarters.

According to sources, the tower was burnt completely resulting in major losses to the company.

Deputy superintendent of police Naushad Alam said Maoists had targeted this telecom company as the management had refused to pay them a levy of Rs 1 lakh over the last two years.