Bhubaneswar: Maoist rebels abducted four personnel of the Orissa State Armed Police (OSAP) from the state's Malkangiri district, police said Saturday.

The policemen were kidnapped at gunpoint Friday when they were travelling in a jeep along with a few villagers near the Chitrakonda reservoir in Malkangiri, about 700 km from here. The personnel were deployed for anti-Maoist operations in the district.

“A group of rebels stopped them (the policemen) near Chitrakonda reservoir and asked them to get down from the vehicle," District Superintendent of Police Satyabrata Bhoi told IANS over telephone.

"The driver of the vehicle told us that the rebels took the jawans (personnel) away, but left the others (the driver and villagers) behind,” he said.

Search operations are underway in the region, Bhoi added.

 

Source : IANS