Maoists let off abducted junior engineer Pabitra Majhi on Wednesday at a spot in Chitrakonda even as they set three more conditions for the release of IAS officer R Vineel Krishna.
Both Krishna and Majhi were abducted from the Chitrakonda area of Malkangiri district, more than 700 km southwest of Bhubaneswar, on February 16.
“We are surprised by the three demands,” said Dandapani Mohanty, a mediator who took part in the negotiations to secure the release of Krishna and Majhi. The rebels dropped Majhi at a village, from where he came to Chitrakonda by bike.
Earlier in the day at a press conference in Malkangiri, Majhi said: “Krishna (Malkangiri district collector) is fine. The Maoists have said they will free him in 48 hours.”
Maoist leader Ganti Prasadam, whose release the ultras had demanded, got bail but refused to come out of jail unless his comrades were freed.