Ranchi, Nov 13 (IANS) A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator from Jharkhand and his aide who were abducted by Maoists in Latehar district a day ago were released Friday, police said.
Ram Chandra Singh, RJD legislator from Manika assembly seat, returned to Latehar police station with his supporter Friday afternoon. Police recorded his statement on the abduction.

“He was released near the Murmu jungle of Latehar after police built up pressure on the Maoist rebels by launching an operation,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Palamau range Shashinath Jha told IANS.

The lawmaker was abducted along with six supporters when he was returning home after attending a party Thursday night.

Singh is the RJD nominee for the Manika assembly seat in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls.

He was returning home with his supporters after attending a party at Tarwadih village when he was stopped by 20-30 armed men in the area, around 160 km from Ranchi.

The kidnappers took the legislator and his supporters to a jungle nearby. Five of the supporters were released later.

According to DIG Shashinath Jha, the Sanjay Yadav group of Maoist rebels abducted Ram Chandra Singh.

“This is a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).”

According to police sources, the Sanjay Yadav group is active on the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh border.

This is the first time that a legislator was abducted by Maoist rebels in Jharkhand.