'Naxals' demand Rs 50 lakh from road construction firm in Madhya Pradesh

BALAGHAT: Four persons claiming to be naxals have demanded Rs 50 lakh from a road construction company in Madhya Pradesh, police said today.

"Four persons claiming to be naxals demanded Rs 50 lakh from the company by leaving pamphlets near its hotmix plant at Parastola in the district on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. They also threatened its employees of dire consequences if the company fails to meet their demand," said Balaghat SP Gaurav Tiwari.

Police have registered a case under section 384 (punishment for extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the complaint lodged by employees and have recovered pamphlets from the spot, he said, adding a search operation is on to trace the alleged naxals.

The company recently secured the contract to construct Balaghat-Baihar section of the state highway and has set up four hotmix plants in the area.

Among them is Parastola where the alleged incident took place.

"Parastola is located in a forest area surrounded by hills. It seems that taking advantage of the topography of the area, the alleged naxalites threatened the company employees and later disappeared," Tiwari added.

The employees working at the site have also demanded security from local police station