Suspected Maoists killed a local Communist Party of India-Maoist leader after raiding his house at Barabazar, about 50 km from Purulia, early on Thursday morning and fled towards the Jharkhand border, a senior police official said.
A gang of armed Maoists threw bombs at the CPI-M leader Bhagirath Karmakar's house and killed him on the spot, Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Prasad said.
It was not known whether they looted any thing from the CPI-M leader's house, he said, adding other members of Karmakar's family were not touched by the Maoists.
Karmakar was on the hit list of the Maoists.
Senior police officials have rushed to the spot.
Police launched a combing operation and have sounded an alert all over the district which borders Jharkhand, the SP added.
