No info on whereabouts of TRS leaders under Maoist detention

The whereabouts of six local leaders of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) from Khammam district of the state, who are allegedly under detention of Maoists in the neighboring Chhattisgarh state were still not known, police said today. "There is no information about their whereabouts...nothing has been confirmed (on their location)," a senior police officer from Bhadrachalam Sub-Division of Khammam district told PTI over phone. TRS Bhadrachalam constituency in-charge M Ramakrishna and five others had gone to Pusuguppa village in Charla mandal of Khammam district on Wednesday evening, a village located on the border and 5 km from Chhattisgarh, from where they were called for a meeting by the Maoists, police yesterday said. Around 60 villagers who had gone for their search last evening towards the area in Chhattisgarh to protest against the move of the Maoists, also did not find them, the police officer said. Police received information that these six people were called up by the ultras to hold discussion on some issues and they were allegedly in custody of the Maoists," Khammam district Superintendent of Police Shahnawaz Qasim had said adding, "It cannot be termed as abduction or holding hostage." A letter in the name of CPI (Maoist) had "mentioned that six people have come to us and we are discussing with them." In the letter, the Ultras accused the state government of carrying out anti-people work and termed the killing of two persons (Maoists) in an exchange of fire with the police in Warangal district in September as "fake" encounters. They also sought stopping of combing operations. Last month, three local leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were allegedly held captive by Maoists in Visakhapatnam after summoning them, though they subsequently reached their homes after few days.