JEYPORE: Close on the heels of kidnapping of the two Italians, the abduction of Laxmipur BJD MLA, Jhina Hikaka, by the Maoists on Friday night has come as a bolt from the blue for the State Government. If sources are to be believed, Hikaka was a prize catch for a group of cadres, as the ultras had no plan to kidnap the MLA.
A group of Maoists was digging the Koraput-Laxmipur road near Toyaput on Friday night for the proposed Maoist bandh on Saturday when they spotted a jeep on the route. Around 70 in number, the Maoists intercepted the vehicle, suspecting it to be a police jeep. On not finding police, they rang up their senior cadres only to learn that the MLA was in the vehicle returning from Semiliguda. Seizing the opportunity, the Maoists gathered around the Bolero and asked the MLA’s PSO and driver to move out before taking Hikaka to a secluded area. They released the PSO and driver around 12.30 am.