Maoists abduct district collector in Orissa, demand halt of Operation Green Hunt

Bhubaneswar, Feb 17 (ANI): The Maoists have abducted Malkangiri district collector R Vineel Krishna last evening.

Krishna, who was on his way back after attending a health camp in Chitrakonda, has been missing since last evening.

The Maoists have sent a note through a junior engineer accompanying Krishna demanding immediate halt to Operation Green Hunt and release of jailed Maoists.disha IG Police (Operation) Sanjeeb Marik while confirming the abduction said Krishna was not carrying any security with him.

He said as there is no mobile tower in the particular area, police is finding it difficult to trace the IAS officer.

Additional reinforcements of policemen have been sent to the area to bolster efforts to trace the Collector. A red alert has been sounded in the area bordering Andhra Pradesh.

This is the first time, Maoists have abducted a IAS officer in Odisha. (ANI)