Contractor killed in Jharkhand, Maoists suspected

RANCHI - Suspected Maoist rebels shot a contractor dead in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand Thursday, police said.

Parmanand Ojha, the contractor, was shot dead early Thursday morning at Kodwe village of Hazaribagh district, about 110 km from Ranchi.

The dead body has been sent for post mortem examination.

“According to relatives and close associates of Ojha, Maoists had demanded a levy from him which he denied. It seems that Maoist rebels killed Ojha as a result,” a police official of Hazaribagh told IANS.

He said: “We suspect the hand of Maoists in the killing but we will investigate other angles too.”