Maoists allegedly killed two persons on Saturday night and dumped their bodies on the outskirts of Basudeopur village, around 6km off Maoist-hit Haveli Kharaghpur sub-division headquarters in Munger district.

The throats of the victims, Bajrangi Paswan (43) and Madan Das (45), were slit. The rebels claimed in some pamphlets found near the bodies that the duo were punished for pocketing levy meant for the organisation.

Police and CRPF suspect the team of Maoist area commander Birbal of killing the duo to settle some old scores over collection of levy. A CRPF officer of the 131 battalion said: “Slitting throat of people is a common practice of Birbal’s group.”

Sources said Das, a resident of Vanbarsa hamlet, had some attachment with the Maoists around seven years ago. But he had severed ties with the rebels within two years, sources said.

The murder of retired armyman Paswan, a resident of Dariyapur hamlet having no association with the Maoists, has baffled his fellow villagers, though.

Paswan was a very popular figure in his area. “He was involved in community service and used to settle small disputes in the village. How could the rebels accuse him of pocketing their levy?” a villager asked.

According to Haveli Kharaghpur police station house officer Bishwabandhu, some villagers of Basudeopur spotted the two bodies on Sunday early morning near the Jorua Mandir (twin temple) on a hillock on the outskirts of the village. The officer said investigations were on to ascertain the exact reason behind the double murder.

The CRPF officer said the double murder could be the fallout of caste conflict in the rank and files of the organisation.

“The conflict between tribals and non-tribals has intensified in the rebels’ camps. As Birbal’s troop is dominated by tribals, Das and Paswan — both non-tribal — were eliminated though the allegations levelled on the duo were not-so-serious,” said an intelligence source.

Sub-divisional officer of Haveli Kharaghpur A.K. Chandra said the situation was under control. “We have started a massive combing operation to nab the culprits involved in the double killing,” he said.

Some residents of Basudeopur claimed that a group of armed persons had raided the village on Saturday night around 10 and picked up Sanjay Paswan and Pramod Paswan.

They returned to the village after some time, but disappeared on Sunday morning just after the arrival of the police and the CRPF teams to probe the double murder case.