Ranchi, Sep 13 - An elderly man was beaten to death by Maoist rebels on the outskirts of Ranchi early Sunday on suspicion that he was a police informer, police said.

According to police, activists of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) dragged Sahu Mahto, who was in his 60s, from his home, situated under Kehlari police station around 70 km from Ranchi. The Maoist rebels started beating him with sticks and iron rods. Mahto died on the spot.

Police arrived after three hours and sent the dead body for post mortem examination. Police denied that Mahto was a police informer and are searching for the TPC activists involved in the incident.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts in Jharkhand. Nearly 1,550 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the last eight years.