Shortly after landing in Tamil Nadu for work, 6 men from Jharkhand abducted, families get video calls with gun to their head

Indian Express

22-07-2025

Six migrant workers from Borwa village in Jharkhand's Jamtara district were allegedly abducted shortly after arriving in Tamil Nadu for work on July 16.
The youth, aged between 20 and 21, had just deboarded a train and were en route to a job site when they were allegedly kidnapped by a local gang in what appeared to be a premeditated extortion attempt, officials said. Jamtara MLA and state Health Minister Irfan Amsari took cognisance of the case.
According to his office, the abductors identified the young men as migrants based on their body language and dialect, after which the gang reportedly misled and forcibly took the group away in a bus.
'Later, the abductors made video calls to the victims' families, threatening to kill the youth if a ransom wasn't paid. Holding pistols to their heads and knives to their necks, the gang demanded an initial payment of Rs 2.5 lakh. They forced the families to transfer Rs 30,000 first, followed by Rs 50,000 with the help of villagers pooling funds together,' said Azharuddin, the MLA's personal secretary.
'These families are extremely poor. That's why the boys had gone out of the state to work. They panicked and did whatever they could,' he said. 'Had the issue not come to our notice in time, it could've ended in tragedy.'
The MLA escalated the matter and informed the Chief Secretary, the Tamil Nadu DGP, and the Jharkhand DGP.
Prompt coordination between Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand authorities ensured swift action. Tamil Nadu police managed to trace the men after the abductors had already withdrawn cash using ATMs and left the youth near Salem railway station.
According to official information, the rescued youth were later brought to the Salem police station, and arrangements are underway to get them safely back to Jharkhand. Police in Jharkhand have recorded the statements of some of the men, who used borrowed phones since their own mobile devices were also stolen by the abductors.
Azharuddin said one of the men managed to call the family from someone else's phone and confirm that they were safe. 'That's how the police were able to track their location.'
'This incident could have been catastrophic if action was delayed even by 15 or 20 minutes,' he said. 'It's a matter of grave concern and raises questions about the security of migrant workers in destination states.'
DGP of Jharkhand, Anurag Gupta, told The Indian Express that with the collaboration with the Tamil Nadu police and administration, they successfully rescued the men on Monday and are expected to bring them home in the coming days.
The perpetrators fled after robbing the young men and leaving them at the Salem bus stand.
Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India.
Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions.
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