MCC men pick 4 Jharkhand traders, police fend off fire

The Chhotanagpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) office members here have expressed shock at the abduction of four businessmen from Hussainabad block of Palamau district on Sunday evening.

Two days later, nothing is known about the whereabouts of Jeewan Jaiswal, owner of a theatre; his brother Shambhu Jaiswal, a shopkeeper; Sunil Swarnakar, a trader; and Manoj Sawarnakar, a goldsmith. Members of the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) are believed to have abducted the four, who are neighbours in the Naxalite-infested area.

Quoting eyewitnesses, CCCI member Ram Pravesh Swarnakar today told reporters here that around dusk on Sunday, 150 armed MCC men dressed in police uniform descended on Hussainabad.

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CCCI Secretary Bishnu Budhia pointed out that although abduction by Naxals was an old crime, ‘‘never before have they kidnapped businessmen in a group of four’’.

‘‘The government has done nothing to provide security to the life and property of businessmen in extremist-hit areas,’’ charged Girish Malhotra, another CCCI member.