File pictures of (top) Italian national Paolo Bosusco and Laxmipur MLA Jhina Hikaka. Both were recently abducted by the Maoists

Bhubaneswar, May 8: Maoists today gunned down a police officer in Nuapada district after kidnapping him from near Dharmabandha village close to Chhattisgarh border, about 490km from here.

The bullet-riddled body of assistant sub-inspector Kruparam Majhi, 40, with his hand and feet tied was found at Bharuamunda village, about 22km from Nuapada town near the Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary bordering Chhattisgarh.

Majhi, along with a constable, was escorting a water tanker to a CRPF camp at Godhas, about 8km from Dharmabandha. The gun-toting Maoists abducted him around 11.45am. His body, which had three bullet marks, was recovered from Bharuamunda in the afternoon.

However, constable, Deonarayan Sahu, who like Majhi was also attached to Dharmabandha police outpost, managed to escape.

The police suspect the involvement of Chhattisgarh Maoists behind the incident, which comes in the wake of recent kidnapping of Sukma collector in the neighbouring state and the abduction of two Italians and a BJD legislator in the state. In all these cases, the rebels had released the hostages following protracted negotiations with the two state governments.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik described the killing of Majhi, a native of Beltunki in the Jonk police station area of Nuapada district, as a barbaric act and announced an ex gratia of Rs 8 lakh for the cop’s family, apart from Rs 10 lakh to be paid as insurance. The state government would also provide a job to the next of kin of the slain officer.

Sub-divisional police officer of Nuapada Prafulla Kumar Patro said Majhi was escorting the water tanker to Godhas, where a company of CRPF had been engaged in a combing operation since May 3.

“The water tanker started from Patra camp, which falls in the Dharmabandha police station area. As the tanker, along with the escort party, reached the outskirts of Dharmabandha village, around 2km from Patra, the constable, who was driving the motorcycle saw some men trying to obstruct the road by felling trees. He also saw some people with guns,” said Patro.

Sensing danger, Sahu immediately turned the vehicle around and fled. But, Majhi could only jump from his motorbike. While fleeing, Sahu saw more armed people reaching the place and surrounding the police officer.

Nuapada superintendent of police Umashankar Das immediately rushed to the area after being informed, and the CRPF control room in the Maoist-hit district was also alerted.

The district police also sought the help of their Chhattisgarh counterparts in tracing Majhi. “The suspense, however, came to an end in the afternoon when his bullet-ridden body was found lying at Bharuamunda,” said Patra.

Senior police officials said combing operation along the Nuapada-Chattisgarh border had been intensified in the wake of the killing with focus on the Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary, which the Maoists, operating on both sides of the border, had been using as a hide-out.

Last year, the rebels had ambushed and killed 10 policemen, including an additional superintendent of police from Chhattisgarh, in the sanctuary.