A rebel leader belonging to a Maoist splinter group orchestrated senior BJP leader Jaivardhan Singh’s murder in Barwadih block of Latehar in a bid to terrorise locals and establish dominance for collection of levy in the mineral-rich region, police said on Monday.

BJP district general secretary Jaivardhan, who was said to be a contender for a party ticket for the Lok Sabha elections, was shot dead at a busy market in Barwadih on July 5, triggering an Opposition uproar over the deteriorating law and order situation in state.

Police said Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad’s (JJMP) area commander Manohar Parhaia plotted the murder and used four others to accomplish his plan. All four have been arrested, but Manohar is absconding.

Manohar promised to pay Rs 3 lakh to one Anshu Prasad, a former JJMP rebel, for killing Singh, the SIT constituted to probe the case learnt during the course of investigations.

Latehar SP Prashant Anand said Manohar had paid Anshu an advance of Rs 50,000. Anshu, who is in his early twenties, roped in one Satyam Thakur and Rahul Gupta, both residents of Palamau, to help him commit Singh's murder, the trio confessed to police during interrogation.

“Anshu roped in Satyam and Rahul for the murder. Rahul shot dead Jaivardhan and Satyam fired in the air while they fled the spot. All three of them have criminal records,” said Anand.

The trio had taken shelter at the residence of Manohar Parhaia’s brother-in-law, Suresh Parhaia, after murdering Singh, police said. “We have arrested Suresh too. Manohar is absconding, but we are tracing is location,” said Anand.

As per police records, JJMP is one of 17 splinter outfits active in Jharkhand. At least 19 of 24 districts in Jharkhand are LWE (Left wing extremism)-affected as per figures with the Union home ministry. The members of these splinter outfits, police say, are nothing more than hired guns and thugs who have let lose reign of terror on villagers in Jharkhand hinterlands. They are involved in trafficking children, extorting levy and even killing for sport, police say.

Splinter outfits have been involved in murder of politicians in the past as well. In 2017, at least three BJP leaders were shot dead by splinter outfits in different districts. AJSU Party MLA Ramesh Singh Munda was killed by dreaded Maoist Kundan Pahan, who later surrendered.