GAYA JI, Aug. 8 -- A 28-year-old youth kidnapped for ransom was rescued by Gaya Ji police within six hours after a massive operation in the Maoist-hit Pichhulia forests, officials said. The victim, Munawwar Khan alias Tabbu Khan, a resident of Kothi, was on his way to meet a friend at Gangati market on his bike when armed bike-borne criminals intercepted him near Bagiya More around 3pm on Wednesday. They blindfolded him and took him towards the Sewar forest area, abandoning his bike at the spot, police said. The kidnappers later contacted the victim's friend and demanded a ransom of Rs.8 lakh for his safe release. They also threatened to kill him if the family informed the police, his sister said. Following the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anand Kumar formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising personnel from Imamganj, Chhakarbandha, Magra, and Bhadwar police stations, along with the district intelligence unit. The team was led by Imamganj Sub-Divisional Police Officer Kamlesh Kumar. Using mobile surveillance, the police tracked the location of the phone used to make the ransom call and headed towards Sewar forests under Maigra police station. However, as the kidnappers were closely monitoring police movement, they fled deeper into the Pichhulia forests in Maoist-hit Chhakarbandha - an area considered extremely challenging for night operations. Relying on electronic surveillance and ground-level intelligence, the police launched a coordinated and intensive search operation. With no escape route left, the kidnappers were forced to release the victim near Nakti bridge under Imamganj police station area. The victim was recovered and brought to Imamganj police station around 9pm - just six hours after the abduction, the SSP said. He added that a case had been registered and three police teams were conducting raids to arrest the accused, who have already been identified. According to the victim, he was brutally beaten and tortured by the abductors, who would likely have killed him had the police not acted swiftly....