WB: Cop released by Maoists reaches home

Two days after being kidnapped from Sankrail police station in West Midnapore district by armed Maoists, police officer Atindranath Dutta returned to his residence in Kolkata in the wee hours of Friday.

Escorted by commandos from the state police department, Dutta was greeted by his mother, wife, daughter, in-laws and other relatives, when he reached home at approximately 2.30 am.

On Thursday night, Dutta was handed over unharmed to journalists at a field in Lalgarh by the Left-wing ultras, after the women arrested by the security forces during anti-Maoist operations in West Midnapore district were released on bail by a local court.

After his release, Dutta reported to the Jhargram police station and also went for a medical check-up, before finally heading for his house.

Senior officials of the state police (intelligence wing) are scheduled to meet him later today to enquire about the incident. The motorcycle-borne Maoists had looted over Rs nine lakh from a State Bank of India branch loctaed near a police station in Sankrail, before killing two other officers and taking Dutta, officer-in-charge of the police station, as hostage on Tuesday.