Maoists abduct official, three workers

Suspected Maoists have abducted a forest official and three workers in Bihar’s Jamui district and threatened to kill them if a ransom of Rs.10 lakh was not paid, police said Friday.

Naresh Singh, the official, was kidnapped in Jamui, about 200 km from Patna. Jamui Superintendent of Police Upendra Kumar Sharma said police had launched a search for the four.

Naresh Singh’s son Samsher Singh said the Maoists used his father’s mobile phone to make the ransom demand.