Jehanabad: Armed naxalites set ablaze machines and tractors of a private road construction company in Bihar's Jehanabad district for its refusal to pay levy, police said today.

An armed squad of the banned CPI(Maoist) raided the camp at the construction site at Muradi village late last night, tied up the workers and set fire to the machines and three tractors of Mother India construction company, subdivisional police officer Anand Srivastava said.

Maoist rebels later freed the labourers and retreated, firing into the air to scare the villagers. A leaflet left by the naxalites warned of similar action against companies and contractors if they disobeyed their command to pay them levy in order to continue their operations.

The SDPO said naxalites had demanded Rs 4 lakh from an official of the firm, Balvendra Krishna, who had refused to pay them. Krishna had also not informed the police about the demand, he said.

An FIR has been registered against a self-styled "area commander" of the outfit and two others in connection with the incident and raids are underway to arrest the culprits.

Source : PTI