The five forest department and seven local people working as assistants were freed after talks between village and panchayat leaders and officials, Regional Chief Conservator of Forest, Anup Nayak said.
Residents of Gopinathpur village in the core area of Simlipal National Park took away the 12 demanding release of four villagers arrested earlier for poaching.
The villagers were assured that legal assistance would be provided to the four arrested, the sources said.
The four arrested villagers were yesterday produced in the sub-divisional judicial magistrate's court at Karanjia where one was acquitted and the others sent to judicial custody.