Normalcy returned to hospitals across Bihar on Saturday following the release of orthopaedic surgeon Bharat Singh late on Friday night after 48 hours of captivity.

Dr Bharat Singh, a resident surgical officer in the orthopaedics department of the Patna Medical College and Hospital, had been abducted on Wednesday night.

On Friday night, he reached his official residence located on the hospital campus about 12 pm after being released by his abductors on the Fatuha-Gaya road around 2300 IST.

Having no money, Dr Singh had walked towards Patna. Later, an autorickshaw driver gave him lift up to the Patna railway station from where he took a rickshaw to his home.

Dr Singh told rediff.com over telephone from his residence that he could not say where he had been kept during his captivity, not even if it was a rural or an urban area. "I had been blindfolded and my hands were tied," he said.

He said the criminals 'treated me well and offered me food too'. He, however, could not say why he was kidnapped.

Patna SSP Sunil Kumar said that five persons, belonging to the Durgesh gang, were arrested in this connection. They had confessed to their involvement in Dr Singh's abduction and some weapons had been recovered from them, he claimed.

Doctors, who were on a strike in protest against the abduction, reported back to duty and emergency wards and the OPD of the Patna Medical College Hospital was flooded with patients since early Saturday morning.

The strike had crippled hospitals in the state during the last 48 hours.

The NDA and the Indian Federal Democratic Party of Lok Sabha member Pappu Yadav had blocked roads in Patna during the past two days in protest against the abduction.

With inputs from PTI