Bhubaneswar, Sept. 25: Maoists today killed two village guards in an inaccessible area of Malkangiri district beyond the Balimela reservoir, nearly 700km from here.

The murder of the guards, Manik Khilo and Jagbandhu Khilo, who were kidnapped by the rebels on September 20 along with seven others, breaks a brief lull in violence in the area inhabited by nearly 30,000 people.

Sources said the bodies of Manik and Jagbandhu, who belonged to Handikhol and Jodambo villages respectively, were found lying in the forests of what is officially described as the “cut-off” area of Malkangiri, with their throats slit. They were suspected to be police informers.

Malkangiri superintendent of police Akhileshwar Singh said the Maoists had released five others kidnapped by them but a former sarpanch, Nistu Khora and a naib (deputy) sarpanch, Raju Khora were still in their custody.

“Unfortunately, the police hardly has a presence in the cut-off area. All we can do is wait for these two to return home,” he said.

The “cut-off” area being closer to Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, it has long been a Maoist bastion. Police find it hard to operate there as it has neither any motorable roads nor do telephones work there properly.

The police chief said the five persons released by the rebels after spending as many days in captivity were Lobo Khilo, Chandrasen Khilo, Komlochan Khilo Dhanu Kamdu and Purna Sisa, who hail from different villages in the area.

The radicals beat them up mercilessly before setting them free. The cops, however, are yet to get the details of the incident.

Singh said he was not thinking of mounting a police operation for the release of the former sarpanch and deputy sarpanch as it was not a practicable option given the topography of the area and its complete lack of communication infrastructure. “We are keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that they release them,” he said.

Senior government officials have been wary of stepping into the “cut-off” area since February last year when former Malkangiri collector R. Vineel Krishna was kidnapped from there along with a junior engineer by a group of rebels who held him captive for nine days.

For the people inhabiting this area, boats and motor launches are the only means of communication with the mainland. The Maoists have effectively thwarted attempts to build bridges over the local rivers.