The suspense over the abduction of a police sub-inspector and his teacher friend who were reportedly taken hostage by Maoists on Sunday from the insurgency-hit Dantewada district ended following their release on Monday night.
“SI Lalit Kashyap and teacher Jaisingh Kureti were released late on Monday night and they safely reached the CRPF’s Sameli camp on Tuesday morning,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Dantewada Abhishek Pallava said.
According to the SP, Naxals questioned Kashyap about the movement of police personnel and security camps in the area for two days before releasing the duo.
Notably, they were abducted from Jabeli village under Aranpur police station area on Sunday morning when Kashyap had gone to consume liquor with Kureti, a contractual teacher in a government primary school there.
Kashyap, a district police personnel, is posted at the camp of 'C' company of CRPF's 111th battalion in Sameli village for coordinating between local police and paramilitary personnel during anti-Naxal operations.
According to police, Kureti had come to Sameli camp for some work on Sunday morning, and then Kashyap went along with him to Jabeli, located in a very sensitive area near his posting place, to consume liquor.
A group of 40-50 armed Naxals led by militia commander Deva stormed the village and took away the SI and the teacher with them, police said.
"Naxals questioned Kashyap about the movement of police personnel and security camps in the area for two days. Besides, ultras also warned Kureti to stay away from the police personnel," the SP said.
Meanwhile, Naxals also tried to trap security forces by spreading false information that they had killed the abducted SI. But the security forces took all the necessary precautionary measures while searching for their whereabouts in the forest area, he added.
"Due to mounting pressure from local public representatives and villagers, Naxals had to free the policeman and teacher on Monday late night," the SP said.
Kashyap has been suspended for alleged negligence in discharging duty as he went outside the camp without permission and consumed liquor during the duty hours, he said.
"During the probe, it also came to light that even in the past, he had allegedly left the camp many times without informing anyone," Pallava said, adding that a departmental enquiry has also been initiated against the SI.