Freed Italian hostage says Maoists treated him well

Italian national Paolo Bosusco who was freed by Maoists after 29-days in captivity has said that the Maoists had treated him well. In a brief statement Bosusco also said he was happy to be free and was “full of optimism for the future”. [caption id=“attachment_274166” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Italian Paolo Bosusco (right) was freed after 29 days in captivity. PTI”]  [/caption] On his arrival in Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar however, Bosusco was however not allowed to speak to journalists and was immediately ushered in to meet the Italian ambassador Giacomo Sanfelice di Monteforte and consul general Joel Nechiori who were waiting for him, according to the Hindustan Times. Meanwhile Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed relief at Bosusco’s release, saying that the state government was ’naturally relived’ to have him back. He also appealed to the Maoist faction who have kidnapped BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka to also release him at the earliest. The Maoists have said that they will only release him once 30 Maoists have been released from government custody. Bosusco was kidnapped with another Italian tourist while they were trekking in forests near the Kandhamal district. Maoists who kidnapped him alleged that he and his fellow traveller had taken obscene photos of tribal women. Bosusco had been operating a travel agency in which he would take tourists on treks through the forests of Orissa and introduce them to tribals living in the area. The Italian had been coming to India for over a decade and had claimed to have very good knowledge of the forests in Orissa area.