New Delhi, March 18, IRNA -- Maoists abducted two Italian tourists from the tribal-dominated Kandhamal-Ganjam region in Odisha state asking for a halt to the combing operations against them by this evening

Confirming the abduction of the Italians last night, State Home Secretary said they were held hostage by rebels from the Kandhamal-Ganjam border area.

However, the government was yet to receive any direct communication from the kidnappers, PTI news agency quoted the officials as saying in Bhubaneswar.

With the Maoist deadline approaching, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took stock of the situation at a meeting with Chief Secretary B K Patnaik and other top officials.

Another high-level meeting was held by the officials to work out strategies for dealing with the situation.

Appealing to the Maoists to release the hostages, the chief minister said the state government was waiting for negotiation under the law for resolving the issue.

Condemning the abduction of the foreign nationals as a heinous crime, he expressed hope that the matter would be resolved soon.

He said the Odisha government had apprised the External Affairs Ministry and the Home Ministry about the incident.

The chief secretary said government was waiting for a response from the Maoists after the chief minister's appeal.

Meanwhile, Italian Consul General Joel Melchiori rushed to Bhubaneswar and met with the home secretary.

'We are hopeful that the kidnappers will accept the appeal made by the chief minister to release the hostages. We are working together with the police and administration,' he said.

Expressing hope that the crisis would be resolved, he expected the abductors to extend the deadline set by them for meeting their demands.

Melchiori said his country would revise the travel advisory to their nationals and ask them to abide by the advice of local authorities.

'We cannot control their movements, but we can advise them,' he said.

A senior police officer said the foreigners, who had visited the area on March 12 along with two others from Puri, were identified as Bosusco Paolo and Claudio Colangelo and one of them had been staying in Puri for about 10 years, functioning as a tour operator.

Moreover, India is in touch with Italy to facilitate assistance through authorities concerned in connection with the kidnapping,

The Ministry of External Affairs contacted Italy after the abduction that took place last night, the sources said.

The sources said that MEA was in close contact with the Italian Embassy in New Delhi and was keeping it informed about the latest developments about the case.

The Italians had travelled from Puri by a vehicle and had ventured into the forested area despite warning about of the Maoist menace by the Daringibadi police station, the chief secretary said.

They were accompanied by a driver and a cook, Patnaik said, adding the Maoists, however, released the two along with the vehicle.

The Maoists, who claimed responsibility for the abduction of the tourists through some private news channels around last midnight, however, said the kidnapping had taken place on March 14.

In their communication to the TV channels, they claimed that the foreigners were held hostage while allegedly taking objectionable photographs of tribals in interior areas despite a ban by the state government on such activities.

Asked if any steps were underway to halt the combing operations against Maoists, the chief secretary said the government would wait for the response of the Naxals to the chief minister's appeal before taking any steps for the release of the foreigners.

Meanwhile, a report from Puri said the driver, Kartik Parida, and the cook, Santosh, who had since returned to the temple town, were being interrogated by police.