RAIPUR, India – Abducted Sukma collector Alex Paul Menon could soon be released by Maoist rebels after mediators reached an agreement on Tuesday (May 1st), local media reported.

Although Maoist commanders have not yet signed off on the deal, the mediators said they expected Menon to be released within 48 hours, a Press Trust of India report said.

In exchange for Menon, who was kidnapped on April 21st, the government has agreed to review human rights violation cases in Chhattisgarh state, where the kidnapping took place. But the authorities stopped short of another Maoist demand, for the freeing of eight jailed militants, reported The Hindu.

A rights committee chaired by government mediator Nirmala Buch will review the cases of all prisoners in Chhattisgarh jails. The committee will become operational "within an hour" of Menon's release, according to the agreement.