Abducted NHPC engineer found in UP

Bihar police chief Narayan Mishra said the role of Rishimuni Tiwari, a Nepal-based gangster, was apparent. The owner of the house, Kanhaiya Prasad Shukla, has told the police that a local goon Pintu Tiwari, said to be on the rolls of Rishimuni, had brought the hostages there.

Pintu is also said to be a close aide of jailed Lok Janshakti Party MLA Rajesh Tiwari who, at present, is in Beur jail in connection with CPI(M) MLA Ajit Sarkar’s murder. The police had earlier searched the houses of Tiwari and another LJP MLA, Munna Shukla, for their alleged involvment in the abduction.

Gorakpur SSP Brij Bhushan Bakshi told Express that the police were combing the villages around the spot where Singh was found. He said police got information around

4 pm that the engineers had been kept in a two-storey house in Ayodhya Pratap. ‘‘As soon as police rounded up the house, seven or eight armed men managed to escape into the jungles on foot along with GM Mandal. We managed to rescue K.K. Singh,’’ Bakshi said.

Highly-placed sources in UP police had yet another version of the rescue mission. They said Singh had jumped off the roof of the two-storey house to escape his kidnappers and alerted the nearest police station. As senior officials accompanied Singh to the spot, the accused had already fled with Mandal, the sources said.

Singh only said the abductors had brought them to this house last night, after a 3-km walk through the jungle. Police say Singh is in shock and not in a position to speak. ‘‘He says he has no idea where the kidnappers kept him as they had kept both hostages blindfolded,’’ the officials say.

Singh and Mandal were kidnapped last week, while they were travelling from Patna to Motihari. Singh said they were kept at a different place for the first six days. ‘‘From some bit of their conversation, it appeared to be a case of mistaken identity,’’ Singh has been quoted as saying.

On Thursday, Singh’s ATM card had been used in Delhi to withdraw Rs 19,500. Delhi Police found the money had been drawn from his account at the ICICI bank branch in Connaught Place. The video tapes at the ATM have been given to the Patna Police.Following this the bank accounts of both captives was frozen. Singh’s brother, Rama, said the family had not paid ransom.