RAUTAHAT, July 10

Police on Friday arrested an office assistant who forced to issue a cheque in the manner of abduction to Banjaraha VDC Secretary Prem Shankar Barma.

VDC office assistant Umesh Yadav and his aides had forced Secretary Barma to ride his bike from the road near Gaur Municipality and taken the secretary to his home at 3pm. People on three motorbikes had thrashed Barma in a busy street and whisked him away.

Eyewitnesses reported to police about the incident. A police team had rescued Secretary Barma when Yadav was pressing Barma to sign a cheque for Rs 3,59,000 at Yadav’s home in Gaur-5.

Police have arrested an accomplice in the incident, Yadav’s elder brother, Pramod. SP Sanubabau Thapaliya said that search to catch absconding Umesh Yadav was on.

Meanwhile, Secretary Barma complained that office assistant Yadav and his two aides had threatened him with his life if he refused to sign the cheque. “I issued the cheque to save my life,” he added.

He has registered a case at the district police office, seeking action against the people involved in the incident.

Umesh Yadav’s father, Gaurishankar, however, defended his son, saying that his son was forced to coerce the VDC secretary to issue the cheque after his repeated pleas to release his salary went unheeded.