Five labourers killed in Jharkhand, police blame Maoists

Ranchi, Dec 23 (IANS) Suspected Maoist rebels shot dead five labourers in the Gumla district of Jharkhand, police said Tuesday.

'We suspect hand of Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT) behind the killing,' Superintendent of Police Baljeet Singh told IANS by telephone.

The labourers, working in a power house, were returning to their village Monday evening when suspected rebels of JLT abducted them near Raidih block of Gumla district, around 160 km from here.

The dead bodies of the labourers were recovered Tuesday morning by the police. They belonged to the same village.

According to police sources, the killed labourers were resisting penetration of JLT in their village which might have caused their death.