'Soon after they arrived in the village they told their friends and neighbours that the fear of swine flu in Bangalore drove them back to the village. The news spread that they may have the H1N1 infection, and villagers began boycotting them,' a police official said.

Baryarpur block government medical officer Balram Sah, who examined the labourers, told IANS over phone that no symptom of swine flu was found in them.

'I checked the men after rumours spread that they were suffering from the disease, but they are healthy and normal,' he said.

Last month, Bihar reported its first swine flu case with a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) official testing positive for the viral disease.