Koraput: Suspected Maoists gunned down a trader for opposing the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) in Koraput district, police said on Wednesday. The deceased has been identified as Loknath Mandia Sahu. Though the exact reason behind the brutal killing is yet to be ascertained, further investigation is on.

The incident occurred at around 9 am today when Sahu was purchasing household articles from a grocery shop at Nilabadi village under Bandhugaon police station area.

Four miscreants shot Sahu from a close range and later attacked him with sharp weapons, police said.

The family has alleged that Sahu has been killed by the CMAS for opposing the naxal backed organisation. Notably, Sahu had earlier a narrow escape when he was attacked by the CMAS activists for selling liquor at Kadaba village last year.

Srikant Mohanty, Convener of Bandhugaon CMAS has ruled out the involvement of the outfit in the murder.

According to police, the ultras had also put up posters in the area threatening to punish traders selling liquor in the region. Sahu’s name also figured in the Maoist poster. Meanwhile, a combing operation has been launched to nab the rebels and patrolling intensified by the security forces in the area.