Maoists may release cops on Sunday: Reports

Patna : The Maoists may release the three kidnapped Bihar policemen on Sunday, media reports said.

The latest report of the possible release of the cops came hours after Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar?s talk offers with the Maoists, reports added.

But some media report said that Maoists leader Avinash had said that their Central committee had rejected Bihar Chief Minister?s talks offer though they might release the abducted cops by Sunday.

“We reject the Bihar government’s talks offer. We will free the three hostage cops on Sunday, will only tell their families where they will be released. Those arrested today by the police are ordinary villagers, they are innocent,” Maoist leader Avinash said, according to NDTV.

Earlier, Nitish kumar had called for an all-party meeting in Patna on Saturday to discuss the situation arising out of the crisis and appealed to the rebels once again to not hurt the policemen.

The Maoist spokesperson had said that the abducted policemen were safe.

An alleged suspect in the abduction, identified as Pradeep Kumar, was arrested from the forested area of Jamui during a search operation early Saturday.

Four Bihar policemen – the slain Lucas Tete, Abhay Kumar Yadav, Rupesh Kumar Sinha and Ehsan Khan – were kidnapped by Maoists after a six-hour gunfight in Lakhisarai district on Sunday.

The gunbattle left seven policemen dead and 10 injured.

The bullet-riddled body of Tete was recovered on Friday morning in the Simratali forests of Lakhisarai district, about 150 km from state capital Patna.

The Maoists have also warned the Bihar government of more attacks if the operations against them did not stop immediately.