7 police officials among 10 abducted by naxalites

Jagdalpur, July 16 (UNI) Seven Special Police Officers were among 10 villagers abducted by naxalites last night from three villages in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, police said.

Armed naxalites raided Kotpal and neighbouring two villages in Bade-Dongar police station area and abducted the villagers, including SPOs, police said.

Naxalites usually abduct villagers suspecting them to be police informers and give brutal punishment.

Local tribal youth are appointed Special Police Officers on a monthly honorarium of Rs 1500 to assist the security personnel, including CRPF jawans, in anti-naxalite operations in Bastar region.

More than 4000 local youth, including girls, have already been appointed SPOs since June, 2005.

However, a large number of SPOs were killed in encounters and naxal attacks. At least 240 security personnel were killed in south Bastar in the past six months.

UNI