Maoist rebels kill 6 in India

Maoist rebels shot dead six villagers in eastern India early Saturday, suspecting them to be police informers, police said.

Bihar state police chief Neelmani, who uses only one name, said the attackers put on the uniforms of Indian paramilitary soldiers in the attack early Saturday to avoid detection by police.

They later fled on two tractors. The attack happened in Kairali, a village 140 miles (220 kilometers) east of the state capital of Patna.

Five villagers died on the spot and one succumbed to bullet wounds later in a hospital, Neelmani told The Associated Press.

Inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, the rebels have fought the Indian government for more than four decades. They have tapped into anger among the rural poor over being left out of the country's economic gains.

The rebels demand land and jobs for the poor and often target government forces.

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