Of the five naxals, one died on the spot and three managed to escape.
Villagers in Jharkhand's Latehar district allegedly beat up a naxal to death after he demanded a Rs 15,000 from a contractor who is building a toilet in Bariatu village.
Villagers claim that naxals demand money on regular basis for different works. First they threaten on the phone and then beat up the person concerned if the money is not given.
Explaining the incident that took place on Thursday night, contractor Birendra Singh said, "I denied them the levy when they called and threatened me. Five of them came to my house at midnight and started beating me up."
"I ran to call for help, following which the villagers gathered and beat two of them," he added.
Of the five naxals, one died on the spot and three managed to escape. The fifth naxal got severely injured in the beating and was handed over to the police.
One of villagers was also injured in the incident.