Ending the 9-day old kidnap drama, Maoists this evening released the Telugu IAS officer Mr Vineel Krishna, District Collector of Malkangiri to freedom following the acceptance of their 14 demands by the Orissa government.

With the mediation of the Hyderabad based civil rights activists Professor Haragopal and professor Someshwara rao, Maoists handed over the Collector to the local people at Chitrakonda in the presence of media persons and disappeared from the scene.

Vineel Krishna, after reaching Chitrakonda, told media persons that the Maoists treated him well and discussed several issued with him. “I am quite healthy and feeling relieved,” he said after gaining freedom. But he hastened to add that he and the engineer passed the days in full tension as hostages though the Maoists promised they would not harm him.