Suspected CPI (Maoists) beheaded a quack at Hudagada village in Seraikela-Kharswan district of Jharkhand, police said today.
The torso of the victim, identified as Vijay Kumar Dey (37), a quack, and the severed head were found lying within a distance of 15 m of each other yesterday.
Dey had left home on the afternoon of February 27 but did not return, leading his family members to lodge a missing persons report at Kharswan police station on March 1.
Superintendent of Police, Upendra Kumar, however, said Dey had a link with the ultra outfit as he used to provide treatment to its cadres and supply medicines to them.
He said a Maoists poster owning responsibility for Dey's killing was recovered from near the spot.
Prima facie it seemed to be the handiwork of Maoists, "but we cannot rule out outright that it could be a ploy of the culprits to misguide police," he said.
