Hundreds of Maoists storm Orissa jail

The rebels took two senior police officials hostage during the audacious attack that was reminiscent of the storming of a jail at Jehanabad town in Bihar in November last year, during which the Maoists freed over 300 prisoners.

At about 5 am on Friday, nearly 200 armed guerrillas and many of their supporters entered the R. Udayagiri town in the southern district of Gajapati, 60 km from the district headquarter of Paralakhemundi, state police chief Suchit Das said.

The Maoists, including some women guerrillas, cut telephone lines to the small town and simultaneously attacked the local police station, a camp of the reserve armed police, a government treasury and the sub-jail. The rebels looted some weapons from the police station.

Three policemen were among the dead, while RK Mallik, sub-inspector of the police station, and Rabinarayan Sethi, the jail chief, were taken hostage by the Maoists who freed 40 prisoners including their associates.