Patna, July 27: The eight-year-old nephew of a Bihar minister, who was kidnapped while waiting for his school bus on July 24, remained untraced on the fourth day today, even as banks decided to remain closed in the state capital tomorrow and BJP called a bandh at Ashiana Nagar and neighbouring areas to protest the abduction of bank officer's son. The police was conducting raids at different locations in and around the state capital to trace Sidhant Parmar, nephew of the Bihar minister for sugarcane, Raghavendra Pratap Singh, and son of the State Bank of India officer, Sanjay Singh, but so far no significant progress has been made, the city superintendent of police, O N Bhaskar, told a news agency.

The decision to observe a bandh by bankmen was taken at a meeting of the United Forum of Banks' Union, the president of Bihar unit of SBI officers' association president, Aniruddh Akhauri, said here today. He said that the bank strike is only for tomorrow, but if Parmar was not found they would meet again to intensify their agitation.

Charging the state government with failing to check the rising cases of kidnapping, the main opposition party BJP has given a call for a bandh at Ashiana Nagar and adjoining areas.

If the administration failed to recover Parmar after 24 hours from tomorrow, the BJP would call for Patna bandh, a party release said here.

Bureau Report