The Hindu : No information on kidnapped workers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 11, 2003

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National

No information on kidnapped workers

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD DEC. 10. The management of the Hyderabad-based B. Seenaiah & Company (Projects) Ltd., whose two road construction workers were kidnapped by the Taliban militia in Afghanistan on Saturday last, were worried as there had been no information so far on the fate of the workers.

The abducted workers, Murali and Varadaiah, aged 25 and hailing from a village in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh were taken away at gun point by the Taliban men near Qalat town, five kilometres away from the base camp of the company. The workers were travelling in a pick-up van along with two Afghans, a driver and supervisor, also working for the firm.

The Taliban were said to have beaten up the Afghans and taken away the Indians accusing them of being intelligence agents.

"Within half an hour we were informed about the kidnap through the satellite phone. We have no information about their whereabouts. There has been no ransom call either. Though we were aware of the dangers there this is the first such incident we have faced," said B. Seenaiah, Managing Director of the company.

Both the workers speak Telugu and a smattering of Hindi. Mr. Murali is also distantly related to Mr. Seenaiah while Mr. Varadaiah's father works in a power plant owned by the company in Nellore.

Mr. Seenaiah was reluctant to divulge the details about the abducted persons pleading that he did not want the family members to get worried.

"We have not told the families as they might get panicky. We do not know what is happening there and if there is any development we will come to know of it immediately," he said.

Efforts to locate the families of the kidnap victims proved futile in Nellore district as the company had apparently asked its employees not to speak to the press.

The company got the contract in May last and it took three to four months to mobilise necessary manpower and machinery.

The MD said the workers base camp was well guarded.

About 350 workers hailing from Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan and others were working and among them at least 140 hail from Andhra Pradesh.

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