Maoists abduct two Italians in Orissa

Confirming the incident,officials said the Italians have been identified as Bosusco Paola,who has been working as a tour operator in Puri for about a decade,and Claudio Colangelo. However,they said the state government was yet to receive any communication from the Maoists,who have reportedly put forward a 13-point charter of demands for release of the hostages.

In their communication to the TV channels,the Maoists claimed the foreigners were taken hostage while taking objectionable photographs of tribals in interior areas.

Chief Secretary B K Patnaik said the Italians had ventured into the forested area despite being warned of Maoists by the Daringibadi police station. They were accompanied by a driver and cook,who were released along with the vehicle.

According to reports from Puri,the driver,Kartik Parida,and the cook,Santosh,who have since returned,were being interrogated by the police.

“I appeal to the Left-wing extremists to immediately release the foreign tourists on humanitarian ground. The Orissa government is open to any kind of negotiation with the kidnappers under the law,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He appealed to the Maoists not to take any “drastic step”. “I also condemn this heinous crime,” he said.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna spoke to Patnaik who briefed him on the efforts being made to secure the release of the hostages.

The Ministry of External Affairs is in touch with Italy to facilitate assistance and is keeping it informed about the latest developments,said official sources in Delhi.

Italian consul general Joel Nechiori rushed to Bhubaneswar and discussed the issue with the state authorities. “We hope to solve the issue as soon as possible… and hopefully they will be rescued,” he said.

Dandapani Mohanty,convener of the Jana Adhikar Manch,and one of the mediators who negotiated with the government to secure release of the abducted Malkanagiri collector last year,also appealed to the Maoists not to set any deadline for fulfilment of their demands.

The Maoists had abducted the then Malkanagiri collector R Veenel Krishan along with a junior engineer from a remote area in Malkanagiri in February last year. The two were released after the government arrived at an agreement with the mediators.

— with PTI