Chattisgarh: SP leader Santosh Punem abducted, killed by Naxals in Bijapur district

A Samajwadi Party (SP) leader was abducted and killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said on Wednesday. Santosh Punem, who was also a contractor, was abducted by ultras late Tuesday evening from his construction site in Marimalla village where he had gone to supervise some road- related work, Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel said.

Some locals spotted his body lying in a pool of blood at the nearby Marimalla hills on Wednesday morning and informed the police. A team of security personnel rushed to the spot, located deep inside a forest which is 16 km away from the police station, he said.

The police were yet to return with the body, he said. Punem last year contested the state Assembly polls from Bijapur seat on the SP's ticket, he added.

-PTI