Bhubaneswar, Apr 25 (IANS): Maoists killed two people in Odisha a day after kidnapping them from a village, police said Thursday. The rebels also set afire a mobile phone tower in the same village.

Superintendent of Police Akhileshwar Singh said the Maoist guerrillas on Tuesday kidnapped at gun point three people from Kyang village in Malkangiri district, about 650 km from here, accusing them of being police informers.

The rebels killed two people Wednesday night and released one person. They also set on fire a mobile phone tower in Kyang village, Singh told IANS.

Kyong village is located near the state's border with Chhattisgarh.

Security personals were sent to the village Thursday, the officer added.

This is the third such incident reported from Malkangiri district this year. Earlier on April 4, Maoists killed a village council chief in Kurmanur area of the district.

Another man was killed by the rebels in a village close to Odisha's border with Andhra Pradesh Jan 16, according to the police officer.

Maoists are active in more than half of state's 30 districts. The district of Malkangiri is considered one of the strongholds of the rebels.