Claudio Colangelo might not have imagined in his wildest dream that his maiden trip to the tribal hinterlands in Orissa would end up in a nightmarish experience.
March14, 2012, the day he was taken hostage by the Maoists rebels along with Basusco Paolo, his compatriot and a tour operator, would remain as a “unforgettable mark” in his life and he would never cherish to see any other citizen — of both Indian or foreign — becomes subjected to it.
“It was quite harrowing. The 10 days I spent were quite frightening. I lost 10 whole days of my life,” Mr Colangelo told reporters after his release on Saturday.
The Italian tourist, however, did not complain about the dealings and behaviour of the rebels.
“They were quite nice to us. Four days ago, they promised me to release me which happened today,” he said.
Mr Colangelo said, along through his captivity, he would think about his wife and children.
“I’m quite desperate to see them. Because of their prayer and the well-wishes of the people of Orissa who organised peace rallies, I got freedom. I hope the state government would consider their demands paving the way for the release of the other hostages,” Mr Colangelo told reporters at Sorada.