Hazaribagh, Oct. 27: Armed Maoists abducted the circle officer of Keredari while he was returning to his house here on a day the rebels blew up two schools in Giridih and observed a bandh in five districts.

The officer’s driver, who was released after being beaten up, reported the incident to the block office who asked police to send out search parties from Barakagaon and Keredari that’s on the Hazaribagh-Chatra district border, a Naxalite stronghold.

Nirmal Kumar Toppo, who resides in Deepppugarha of Hazaribagh with his wife, an income-tax officer, was returning home around 4.10pm as usual when his SUV was stopped by a man just as it was crossing the narrow Patra bridge, around 32km from here.

Four armed men appearing from nowhere asked him and his driver, Dwarika Singh, to get off the vehicle and begin walking towards the nearby forests. After walking for about a kilometre, the rebels searched them.

Dwarika’s mobile and Rs 2,950 was taken away from him. He was then beaten up and released with a warning.

BDO Ranjeet Das confirmed the abduction and said that on the basis of Dwarika’s initial report to the police, a massive search operation had been launched under the leadership of DSP Naushad Alam.

However, he added, Dwarika was in a state of shock and couldn’t speak.

Keredari has been a victim of Maoists terror for long, the most sensational attack coming in 2001 when 14 villagers were killed in Beltu.