Two kidnapped NTPC employees return safely after a week

Patna, Oct 14 (UNI) Two employees of public sector National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), who were abducted by suspected ultras on 0ctober six from Lalmatia village in Jharkhand' s Godda district, returned safely to the same village last night after being released by the kidnappers.

Senior NTPC sources told UNI here today from Farakka in West Bengal that Senior Supervisor Dibyojyoti Acharya and his colleague at NTPC's Farakka thermal power plant Subrata Dam returned unharmed after midnight last night.

The two officers were abducted by an armed gang last Saturday evening while they were returning to Farakka after inspecting the construction of a NTPC funded school building at Lalmatia.

''We have just received the news of their release and do not have any other information at present. Both of them are now being brought to Farakka,'' the sources told UNI but denied of any ransom paid by the NTPC for the safe return of its officials.

Though the local driver, who was also kidnapped at gun point by the suspected ultras was let off after some time, both the NTPC employees were taken to an undisclosed place. They were, however, allowed to make a phone call to their relative only once since they were abducted, the sources added.

Reiterating that no ransom was paid by NTPC to kidnappers, the sources gave full credit to the joint forces of Jharjhand and Bihar police for the safe release of the officers by mounting tremendous pressure on the suspected ultras through constant combing operation and other measures.

''It was still a mystery to us why the two were abducted and how they were released,''the sources said and informed that the school building at Lalmatia was being constructed by NTPC as part of it Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Incidentally, demandidng immediate action by the authorities for the release of their colleagues, NTPC employees organised daily protest in the Farakka plant, besides taking out silent torch-light procession around the township and blocking the National Highway 34 for several hours, the sources here said.

UNI