April 16: The Chandwa police are yet to make a breakthrough in the abduction of Shristi Dhar Manjhi, a section officer in the railway, who was kidnapped by an unidentified gang on Saturday.

Manjhi was transferred to Tori last November. Yesterday, around 8 am, he was on his way towards the railway station when some men brandished a gun and forced him to sit on a two-wheeler. The vehicle then sped away.

Police sources said this could be the work of a breakaway Maoist faction (many such groups are active in Latehar). But none of the rebel groups have claimed responsibility.

The news that Manjhi was abducted came out only after his wife Savita, who is residing in Patratu, informed the police. She said she had received an SMS, which informed her that the railway engineer has been kidnapped.

?After repeated efforts, I managed to talk to him (over the mobile) and he confirmed that he was kidnapped. He even said that the abductors would not spare him and was continuously repeating that I should do something to save him,? said Savita.

Sources said besides the railway protection force, district police personnel have also been pressed into service to search for Manjhi. Raids are being conducted in various places to trace and rescue the victim.

The police are even combing the dense forests around Chandwa block, said sources.

Manjhi?s son Akshay is studying in DAV Nandraj in Ranchi. He has a 3-year-old daughter, Palak, who is with her mother in Patratu.

Ravinder Rai, the officer in-charge of Chandwa police station, said: ?As soon as the information (about the kidnapping) reached us, we started raids in many places to trace the man. Our men, in addition to CRPF jawans, are combing each and every suspicious place in Chandwa block. The adjoining police stations have also been informed.?

He added that there has not yet been a breakthrough in the case, but they are expecting some result soon.

?Till now, no ransom calls have come in. Our first job is to identify the gang involved in this kidnapping. This area has got a lot of groups that have broken away from the CPI (Maoist) outfit. Several criminal gangs are also operating in the area. This could be the work of any one of these gangs,? he added.