The released labourers in Jamui. Picture by Amit Kumar

Bhagalpur, Nov. 5: Five days after 14 construction workers were kidnapped in Jamui district, Maoists released them near a riverbank on the outskirts of Chakrapatthar village in Sono block of the district in the small hours today.

The released hostages were identified as Mithun Kathua, Mohammad Liyaquat Hussain, Sawpan Kumar Maurmu, Amol Kumar Mondal, Tolaskant Mondal, Barun Mondal, Sanjoy Kumar Mondal, Millan Kumar Mondal, labour in-charge Lalitda, tractor driver Sagar Ram, road roller driver Chotanki Yadav apart from three villagers of Balthar, Arvind Singh, Naresh Ramand and Dindayal Rai.

Director-general of police (DGP) Abhyanand said in Patna that the motive behind the abduction of labourers in Jamui was to realise ransom money. “Police are interrogating the labourers. The involvement of a banned outfit has come to light in the abduction,” he added.

Unconfirmed sources, whose version could not be substantiated, told The Telegraph that Kumar Enterprises, which had been awarded the contract for construction of the bridge, paid a ransom of Rs 30 lakh to secure the release of its abducted labourers.

Babloo Singh, one of the proprietors of Kumar Enterprises, said: “I have no information about payment of ransom to the abductors.”

Following their release, the labourers claimed the rebels treated them well. “They kept us very well. We were continuously on the run,” said Amol Kumar Mandal from Bengal. “We do not know what police did. Our location was close to Sono or Charkapatthar but we did not see any policemen or heard about them,” said Mohammad Liyaquat Hussain, another hostage.

A.K. Ambedkar, the inspector-general of police, Bhagalpur zone, said: “Nobody told us about any ransom being paid to the rebels. We were concentrating on how to free the victims. We can say it’s the efforts of police which put continuous pressure on the rebels.”

Jamui superintendent of police Ram Narayan Singh said: “If someone paid the amount without informing us what can we do about it?.”

“We do not know about the levy episode because we are very low-ranking persons in the company,” said Lalitda, the labour in-charge and one of the victims.

According to Lalitda, the Maoists provided them rice, dal and vegetables everyday. “We were made to walk blindfolded and not allowed to stay at the same place for more than two hours,” he told reporters at Sono police station.

Last evening, a senior cop on condition of anonymity said the police managed to tap a 1.56-minute audio clipping through mobile surveillance. “Oder marbina, oder cha de (don’t beat them, provide them tea),” said a Maoist in Bengali. The Maoist, who took the call, said: “Ei jugale cha kothay pabo (where would I find tea in this forest)?”