The body of a 55-year-old leader of Jharkhand Party (Aditya) was found on a road in Ramgarh near Lalgarh on Sunday. The CPI (Maoists), which claimed responsibility for the murder, described Dhanapati Murmu as “a spy of the police and an enemy of the people”.

“It seems the Maoists have done it. We are looking for the assailants,” said Manoj Verma, SP (West Midnapore).

According to the police, Murmu, a member of the People’s Resistance Committee against the Maoists, had gone missing on Saturday evening after he received some calls from some unknown people. “He had been missing for the entire night and today morning his body was found on the road,” said police.

Murmu, a member of the managing committee of Ramgarh High School, was earlier warned by the Maoists to sever all ties from the party. “Then he was thrashed by them, but this time they did not spare him,” said his neighbour.

This is the fifth killing in Lalgarh area in the past two days. According to the police, the recent killings are an act of desperation of Naxals as joint forces have intensified their offensive against them.