Atindranath Datta, the police officer abducted and released by the Maoists, is now facing interrogation by the officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The initial probe has claimed to find inconsistencies in his statements.

Sleuths questioned the former officer in charge of Sankrail police station for about five hours on Monday.

The sleuths may interrogate the 34-year old officer again as inconsistencies have emerged from his statements.

Datta was abducted on October 20 by a team of more than 50 Maoists and then released after 54 hours of captivity not before Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee released 23 tribals arrested on charge of supporting Maoists.

Datta was released by Koteshwar Rao, politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist,) to media persons in front of flashbulbs and television cameras. The first exchange of prisoners by the Maoists in India took place deep inside a jungle, more than 200 kms to the west of Kolkata.

The sleuths haven’t been convinced as to how Datta failed to inform the headquarters after he heard the first gunshots at the police station, which killed two of his colleagues.

The police station was just opposite to the residence where Datta had gone for lunch. There was a wireless set in his adjacent room, sleuths claim.

Moreover, he has failed to explain why he was not carrying his 9 mm pistol when he left for lunch.

Officials of the criminal investigation department have collected call details of Datta's mobile phone. The sleuths are also baffled at Datta’s decision not to post guards at the State Bank of India’s Keshiapata branch. The bank officials had told Datta about the Rs 9.23 lakh they had in their vault.

On Monday, Datta was shown some photographs for identification and recorded voices of some Maoists were played out for him.

The government was also unhappy at the way Datta spoke for hours to different television channels and appeared at TV shows organised on the roof of his house.

Datta spoke extensively in public before briefing his seniors in the police force.

“If I were in his position, I would have spoken to the government first,” said Bengal chief secretary Ashok Mohan Chakravarti.

The state’s top bureaucrat also said the director general of police was looking into the issue as to whether Datta violated the police code of conduct.

Speaking about the investigation, Chakravarti remarked, “He is a key witness. He will have to cooperate with the police investigation as it’s not just he who was kidnapped, two policemen were killed.”