Sensation gripped the Naxal-infested area of Goelkera as two bullet-ridden bodies were found lying in a forest near Kadmadiha village in West Singhbhum district on Tuesday morning. One of the victims was identified as Surendra Surin alias Patel (23), a resident of Goelkera where as the identity of other victim is yet to be ascertained. Speaking about the twin murders, West Singhbhum district Superintendent of Police Narendra Kumar Singh said Patel was a hardcore naxal and was arrested in 2013 and sent to jail for allegedly killing the village-head Jaipal Singh in Goelkera.
"He was released on bail in mid-2014 and had resumed the work of levy collection," said the SP. Singh said it was too early to comment, however, they suspect that the rebels killed Patel and his associate because Patel might have deserted the outfit. "We are investigating the incident but are not very sure about the exact reason behind these two murder, but it is for certain that one of the killed youth was a naxal and he was assigned to collect levy from the mining lease area," said the SP. According to sources, the twin bodies were spotted by a section of villages in the dense jungle.
The police sources said para-military forces have moved from Saranda and Chaibasa to conduct search operation in Goelkera and adjoining Porahat jungles. Police said that the security has been beefed up in the area and they were keeping strict vigil on movement of the ultras. “There has been a substantial increase in rebel activities in this area. We are not much concerned about small acts of violence because these activities can be controlled by us, but the bigger attacks are worrisome,” said a security official.