By IANS
Raipur : Seven male activists of the Salwa Judum civil militia group who were abducted by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday are still untraced, the police said.
The police and paramilitary troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) conducted intensive search in the forest areas of the district Friday and Saturday morning, but have been unable to trace the abducted men, Inspector General Girdhari Nayak told IANS by phone Saturday.
The Maoist rebels took hostage the seven Salwa Judum activists in the Bhairamgarh block of the district when they were entering the forest to collect firewood. The abducted men were living in a government-run makeshift relief camp nearby.
Over 50,000 people, mostly tribals, have deserted their villages following threats to their lives from Maoists since June 2005 when the civil militia movement was launched. The villagers have now settled in 23 relief camps in Bijapur and neighbouring Dantewada districts.