Maoists have abducted two Italian male tourists in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, an official said Sunday in what appears to be the first case of foreigners being abducted by rebels in the state.
“Two Italians have been abducted by Maoists. It happened Saturday,” state home secretary U.N. Behera told reporters Sunday.
Maoists, in an audio message sent to the local media in the wee hours of Sunday, said the tourists were kidnapped at the border of Ganjam and communally sensitive Kandhamal district. They demanded that the government stop combing operations and fulfil their demands.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who reviewed the situation with top police and administrative officials Sunday, has appealed to the Maoists to release the two Italians and hold a dialogue with the government.
Describing the abduction as unacceptable, Patnaik said the tourists should be released on humanitarian grounds. Patnaik is expected to hold another meeting of top officials later in the day to deal with the situation.
A Maoist calling himself Sabyasachi Panda said in the audio message, “We have imprisoned two Italian tourists.” He said they would be released only after the government stopped anti-rebel operations and initiated dialogue with them.
“If the government wants to see them free, it should halt combing operations. We also want the government to fulfil a charter of 13 demands it had promised last year,” he said.
Kandhamal district collector Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said the tourists were abducted from Daringbadi area of the district.
According to a local television channel report, both the tourists were men and were picked up by the rebels while roaming inside the forest, taking photographs of some tribal women.
Maoists are active in more than half of the state’s 30 districts and the district of Kandhamal is considered a stronghold.