Maoists kidnap three railway officials in Jharkhand

Suspected Maoists have abducted three railway officials, including the station master, of Hendegiri station in Jharkhand's Latehar district, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Suspected Maoists have abducted three railway officials, including the station master, of Hendegiri station in Jharkhand's Latehar district, a senior official said on Wednesday. "A group of armed Maoists raided the station last night and abducted station master Lalit Prasad, Deputy station master Anil Kumar and Assistant station master S K Tete," Divisional Railway Manager (Dhanbad division), A K Gupta, told newsmen.

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Three other employess of the railway station, located about 140 km from Ranchi and falling in Central Industrial Chord (CIC) section of Dhanbad railway division, were also taken away along with the officials but were let off after covering some distance, Gupta added.

Stating that the authorities have not received any ransom call since their kidnap, Gupta said efforts were on to trace them.

Meanwhile, vice-president of East-Central Railway Employees Union Santosh Tiwari demanded the abducted officials be located within next three days, starting last midnight. "If they do not return within 72 hours, we will resort to blockade of railway traffic," Tiwari said in a statement.

Maoists had abducted railway employees a couple of times in the past and released them unharmed.