Man held for abduction of policemen

One person was arrested who was wanted in connection with abduction of policemen in Khunti district of Jharkhand in February, police said today.

Following information that the accused, identified as Surendra Nath Samad alias Surendra Singh Munda, was at Hembram Bazaar in Arki police station area, policemen reached there yesterday, Superintendent of Police Ashwani Kumar Sinha said.

Samad then fled to a nearby jungle from where he was arrested, Sinha said.

Arki police station Officer-in-charge Chandra Shekhar Azad said Samad allegedly led a group of villagers to set up Pathalgadi in Kurunga village in February by misleading the villagers about the tribal custom.

When the police team reached there to prevent them, the villagers had taken some policemen hostage till the senior officials rushed to the spot and set them free, Azad said.

'Pathalgarhi' is reportedly a practice in which villagers inscribe various tenets on huge stone slabs and ban outsiders in the area.

Surendra Samad was captured hours after the police arrested John Jonus Tidu and Balram Samad, in connection with the alleged gang-rape of five women working for an NGO at Kochang village of Arki police station area in June.

Tidu was also accused in the abduction of four police guards from the residence of BJP MP Karia Munda in Khunti last month.

The police came to know about Surandra Samad after interrogation of Tidu.