Jhargram, Dec. 10: Maoists dared police again last night, gunning down four CPM workers in Jhargram and Salboni, torching a forest office in Jhitka forest on the fringes of Lalgarh, and robbing officials.

Three bullet-riddled bodies were laid side by side on a road barely 3km from Jhargram town and the fourth was left behind about a kilometre from a police camp in Salboni.

“All the murders took place within 3 to 5km of camps where the forces are staying,” an officer said. The victims were Manik Mahato, 42, Bijoy Mahato, 30, Brihaspati Mahato, 35, and Rabi Mahato, 45. Posters the assailants left behind screamed out against the joint forces’ operations in Lalgarh.

“The Maoists want to make their presence felt in these areas as they are not liking the crackdown by the joint forces. They have been cleared out to a large extent from Lalgarh and its surroundings. So, now they are killing people in Jhargram and Salboni,” said West Midnapore superintendent of police Manoj Verma.

As if to prove they still haven’t been driven out of Lalgarh, the guerrillas torched the forest beat office and the fertiliser godown next to it and ransacked the staff quarters.

“They took away television sets and DVD players and broke the furniture,” said forest guard Duryodhan Mudi. The forest staff were dragged out of their homes and beaten up.

Among the slain, Manik and Bijoy were related to each other. Brihaspati, who lived in the nearby Saralia village, owned a stationery shop.

Bijoy’s father Binod said 50 to 60 people came to their place around 11pm and called out the names of his son and brother. “We nervously opened the door and found Maoists waiting with rifles on their shoulders. Bijoy and Manik came out, too,” Binod said.

“The Maoists told us they will take Bijoy and Manik to a kangaroo court…The Maoists assured us that they would leave the two after the trial but, this morning, villagers found the bodies about 2km away,” Binod added.

Brihaspati was picked up from his shop, where he used to spend the nights. His body was found near Jhargram’s Sebayatan Polytechnic College.