Jugal Murmu’s family in Salboni. Telegraph picture

Salboni, April 14: Police suspect that yesterday’s “execution” of three CPM men in Salboni was masterminded by two cousins who took the help of Maoists to settle scores with the trio.

Mukul Tewari, Jugal Murmu and Nabakumar Murmu were shot dead by seven armed men at Jagannathpur, around 170km from Calcutta, in West Midnapore’s Salboni.

Investigations have revealed that Suklal Hembram and Mangal Baskey took the rebels’ help to engineer the killings, angry after being barred from Jagannathpur for a year.

“We suspect that the duo masterminded yesterday’s murders with the help of Maoists to avenge the treatment meted out to them a year ago. They had targeted the three CPM leaders as they played a prominent role in awarding them punishment,” a police officer said.

Suklal and Mangal were charged with grabbing a village pond and stealing a cow.

Salboni teems with Maoists who flee into the Lalgarh jungle after their raids.

Today, the police arrested Suklal’s uncle Babulal Hembram. He was caught in the Lalgarh jungle after an FIR was lodged by CPM supporters against him. They alleged that Babulal had a role in the murders. He was absconding since the incident.

District superintendent of police R. Rajsekharan said: “We are not ruling out the involvement of Maoists in settling old scores in the village. We have got certain leads on the basis of which we are carrying out the probe.”

Mangal Murmu, who was witness to the guerrilla-style executions, said: “We are not going to leave the CPM, come what may.”