Raipur, May 3 (IANS): Celebrations began at the Sukma district collector's residence Thursday afternoon as reports said that Alex Paul Menon had been released by the Maoists after 12 days of captivity.
While officials refused to confirm if Menon, who was abducted from a forested area in restive Bastar region April 21, was released, his supporters and friends had begun to burst firecrackers in celebration.
His father A. Varadhas, based in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli, thanked the Chhattisgarh government and the mediators and rebels for releasing his son. Speaking to reporters, he urged the rebels not to resort to abductions again.
According to reports, the rebels handed over the 31-year-old collector to their mediators - Professor G. Hargopal and B.D. Sharma - somewhere at the edge of their landmine protected hideout, located more than 500 km south of state capital Raipur.