By IANS
Raipur : Six men abducted by Maoists in Chhattisgarh were released Thursday a day after they were picked up by the guerrillas but three special police officers (SPO) are still in their custody, the police said.
The nine tribals, including the three SPOs, were kidnapped Wednesday by armed militants when they were on their way to the forested area Gangloor from Bijapur town, said Ankit Garg, district superintendent of police.
“Six of them were released early Thursday and reached their village near Gangloor but the rebels have still kept the three SPOs in their captivity,” Garg told IANS over telephone.
They were abducted from Bogamgura village, about 450 km from the state capital here. They were travelling in two jeeps when the guerrillas stopped the vehicles and took nine men hostage, letting the women and children go.
“Police search parties have sneaked into Maoist hideouts to ensure the release of the abducted SPOs,” Garg said.
The Chhattisgarh government has recruited about 4,500 local youths, mainly tribals, as SPOs in the worst insurgency affected districts of Bijapur and adjoining Dantewada. The main responsibility of the SPOs is to assist the police force to dismantle rebels’ terror network at the grassroots level.