The outlawed People's War group of naxalites released three abducted policemen unharmed late on Thursday night  after nine days of captivity in Nallamala forests in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.

State police spokesman, Shujath Ali, told rediff.com that the policemen -- Sub-inspector P Anjaneyulu, Assistant Sub-inspector M Subba Rao and a constable -- were released near a tribal hamlet, 10 km from Dornakal in Nallamala forest area.

After trekking the inhospitable terrain in the early hours, they reached Dornakal at around 6 am on Friday. They boarded an RTC bus at Dornakal and reached Markapur town around 6.30 am.

District Superintendent of Police Charu Sinha and other police officials, who were camping at Markapur, expressed relief on the safe release of the policemen.

The policemen were abducted along with a home guard after a group of naxalites waylaid an RTC bus near Katamrajepalli village in Nallamala forest area on the morning of April 2.

On April 8, Home Guard D Babu Rao was released. He brought with him a chit from from his abductors asking the government to meet their demands in 48 hours. Their demands included immediate cessation of anti-naxalite operations and the release of top naxalite leaders being held in jail.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at a meeting with senior ministers and top police officers on Thursday considered the demands but deferred a decision.

Later, an official statement was issued, renewing the appeal to the naxalites to release the policemen on humanitarian grounds, but it once again gave no commitment on the abductors' main demands.