Munger: Two dozen Maoists posing as cops entered an SSB jawan's house while he was celebrating his daughter's birthday on Monday night, dragged him out and pumped six bullets into him from AK-47 rifles in front of his father at Pandeydih village under Barhat police station of Jamui district.

The Maoists who had come to SSB jawan Sikandar Yadav's house included women. "Where is the commando? Send him immediately. We'll take him to the local police station and ask him some questions," a family member quoted the impostors as saying before taking him away.

While taking him away they began beating him. When Sikandar's father protested, they assaulted him. "They tied up the jawan's hands and feet and beat him up with bamboo sticks, shouting: 'Police ko soochna dete ho (You pass on information to police)'," the relative said. "Sikandar was with the SSB's 48th Battalion and was posted in Jayanagar. He had taken two days' leave for his daughter's birthday. The CRPF camp and Barhat police station are 2km away, but the cops took two hours to reach."

Police said the rebels did not leave any document - which they usually do to justify their action - behind. Sushil Mansingh Khopde, inspector-general of police (IG) Bhagalpur range, said there was no apparent reason for the crime. The police wondered why the rebels would kill an SSB jawan who has no role in anti-Maoist operations.

"Maoists have lost their base in Jamui," sub-divisional police officer Ram Pukar Singh said. "Youths are not joining them. So, they killed the jawan to establish their supremacy."

But sources said residents used to provide food and shelter to the rebels but had of late keeping a safe distance, which might have annoyed them.

"We've intensified operations but the topography is creating hurdles," IG Khopde said.