AlHijjah 6, 1432, Nov 2, 2011, SPA -- Police are searching for 15 workers of a construction firm who were abducted by Maoist rebels in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, an official said Wednesday, according to dpa. More than 50 rebels stormed the office of a construction firm in Balthara village in Bihar's Jamui district Tuesday and abducted the staff, said Ram Narain Singh, the district's police superintendent. The workers had been building a bridge in the area, Singh said. The rebels took the hostages into the adjoining forests. Balthara village is located about 200 kilometres south-east of Bihar capital Patna. Police suspect that the Maoists abducted the workers after the firm building the bridge refused to pay protection money demanded by the rebels, IANS news agency reported. Maoist rebels are active in more than one-third of India's 626 administrative districts. The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of tribal, landless and poor people. At least 530 people have been killed in actions by Maoist rebels or against them since January 2011, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
