Naxals abduct seven villagers in Malkangiri

At least seven people from two adjoining villages-Kartanaplli and Burna, under Mathili police station limits in southern Odisha's Malkangiri district were abducted by the suspected Naxals on mid-night of Monday

While six persons, including the former chairman, panchayat samiti, Mathili Trinath Bhumia, were abducted from Kartanapalli, the other person was taken from Burna. Both the villages were located on Odisha-Chhatisgarh border.

Sources said, around 20-25 armed Naxals raided the two adjoining villages and took away the villagers. Panic gripped the area as the news spread. Left-wing ultras (UWL) belonging to Darba division might be involved in the incident, sources said.
 

Police, however, did not conform the incident. "We are yet to receive any complaints from the victims' family or any villager. We came to know the incident only from the media," said SP (Malkanagiri), M.Mohapatra. "The villages are located in very remote area, we are verifying the veracity of the incident", the SP added.