Hyderabad: A mandal-level Congress leader was gunned down while the house of a former ultra was blown off by People's War Group (PWG) naxals in separate incidents in Andhra Pradesh today (May 6, 2004), police said.

Two naxals of PWG action team went to the house of P Raja Rao, mandal parishad vice-president, on the outskirts of Paldi tanda of Peddavuru mandal in Nalgonda district and asked him to follow them as they wanted to have some talks with him.

But Rao and his family members insisted on having talks in the house itself. But the ultras warned them and allowed family members to come along with Rao, police said.

After reaching the village outskirts near a garden, one of the naxals engaged in talks while another opened fire at Rao from close range killing him on the spot.

Later, they threatened others and escaped from the scene, police said.

In Guntur district, naxalites of PWG blew up the house of one M Ramaiah, a former naxalite, at Chityala village, suspecting him to be a police informer.

About 10 naxals stormed Ramaiah's house, asked the inmates to go out, police said, adding the ultras planted landmines and triggered them, damaging the front portion of the house.

Stating that whereabouts of Ramaiah are not known, police said it was suspected that the ultras have abducted him after blowing up his house.

Ramaiah, who was an active member of PWG, had surrendered before police about nine years ago and had availed of the benefits under the Government's rehabilitation package.