Bhawanipatna: A least 10 families of Trilochanpur in Kalahandi district have left their homes in fear of Maoists.

The villagers include families of the four persons -Babula Naik, Raju Naik, Khetra Harijan and Bishikeshan Harijan - who had been abducted by the rebels on April 20. They were released two days later.

Consequently, the families have moved to Rayagada district to live with their relatives. The cops admitted the development and said they were trying to locate the villagers. Sources said the Maoists had been terrorising Trilochanpur for quite some time now.

A series of attacks and killing of innocent villagers have left the residents in a state of panic. Earlier last year, the rebels had killed two brothers - Ajit Pattnaik and Jitan Pattnaik of Trilochanpur - suspecting them of being police informers.

On February 16, Siba Shankar Das, a contractor, was shot dead by Maoists near Pajibahali village. Das had taken the construction contract of Bijepur-Pajibahali road under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

On April 20, four villagers, including a village guard of Trilochanpur, were abducted by the rebels. They were released after two days of torture. The Maoists have been involved in the incidents of torching the vehicles and stealing construction materials of contractors carrying out road construction in the area.

Trilochanpur is situated in the foothill of the Naiyamgiri hills where the Maoist cadres of Banshadhara, Nagavali and Ghumsar division are active.

Kalahandi police superintendent Sandeep Madkar said the police was trying to trace the migrated villagers.

"We are trying to locate the villagers," he said.