Krishnagar, Oct. 9: Maoist extremists struck again last night ? this time in Nadia and their target, a CPM leader.

Abdul Latif Mondal, a member of the CPM’s Karimpur branch committee, was shot dead in his bedroom at Fasilnagar in Thanerpara, about 180 km from Calcutta.

Police said around 9.30 pm, a group of 20 men armed with rifles surrounded Mondal’s house. Three of them knocked on the door as the rest stood guard outside.

Mondal’s brother Osman Gani, also a CPM member, opened the door and the rebels headed straight to the room where the law-clerk was lying on a bed. They fired a round each at him.

On their way out, the trio threatened Mondal’s family members and asked them not to raise an alarm. Gani told the police that they were shouting “Maobad zindabad (Long live Maoism)” and “Maobad thekiye rakha jabe na (Maoism can’t be resisted)”.

This is the first time that a CPM leader has been targeted in Nadia. CPI (Maoist) guerrillas have killed about 20 CPM leaders and supporters in West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura in the past couple of years.

Police and intelligence officials today expressed concern over the Maoists’ spread beyond their known strongholds. The chief minister, too, had expressed his worries regarding their growing clout.

After Mondal’s murder, the police swung into action and arrested nine people, including the headmaster of a local high school.

Mondal’s wife, three children and two brothers apparently named the killers before the police. They said in their complaint that the gang of Maoists included a Congress panchayat samiti member.

Nadia superintendent of police R. Rajsekharan said it was the same group that killed district RSP leader Golam Halsana six months ago.

About the Congress member, Rajsekharan only said: “His name is in the FIR. We are investigating his links.”