In a separate incident, nearly 500 people, some of them masked and carrying firearms, turned up outside Ramshankar Adhikary's house at Chilgora village on the outskirts of Midnapore town.

They barged into Adhikary's house and asked him to come out, threatening to kill the whole family if he did not comply.

Adhikary, 37, with his brother Shaktipada, came out of the house. Their hands were tied behind their backs with a piece of cloth and they were forced to march towards the road to Sirsi, a Maoist stronghold pocket.

'On the way, Shaktipada was allowed to return home. Adhikary was told that he had been sentenced to death as he had passed on information to the police at the Chandra camp, around half a kilometre from the village,' police sources said.

Adhikary begged to meet his sons once before he was killed. The Maoists led him back to his house where he hugged his two sons - Santanu and Sutanu. He was then gunned down by the rebels in front of his house.