Durgapur, Jan. 18: A Durgapur Projects Ltd employee who part-owns a rice mill was kidnapped this afternoon allegedly by his partners, whom he owed Rs 80 lakh.

Sunil Ghosh, 42, was released some 80km from where he was abducted in Durgapur town a few hours later as the kidnappers possibly realised the police were hot on their trail. “They left him in Burdwan and fled. Ghosh approached a police patrol team and identified himself,” said an officer.

A gang of four dragged Ghosh into their Tata Sumo at gunpoint around 3.30pm while he was cycling home after his morning shift. Youths playing cards in Durgapur’s Coke Oven area, 200km from Calcutta, witnessed the abduction and alerted his wife Chhaya.

Durgapur additional sup- erintendent of police Utpal Naskar said: “Ghosh owed his partners nearly Rs 80 lakh.”