Cooch Behar (WB): A group of ULFA (United Liberation front of Assam) activists kidnapped businessman Netai Saha from his hardware shop at Baxirhat in North Bengal's Cooch Behar district last evening, Central intelligence sources said.

Superintendent of Police Satya Sankar Panda said that it was the weekly off day in Baxirhat market and Saha, 50, was sitting with his grandson in the shop. A car came in front of the shop and someone called out Saha. When he went near the car, he was picked up at gun-point, Panda said.

The car, bearing a registration number of Assam, sped away towards Bangladesh border, which was only 4-5 kms from the spot, Saha's nephew Jhulan said.

Panda said that Bangladesh border at Baxirhat and Alipurduarn were sealed and a combing operation was launched.

Though intelligence sources said that the abduction was a handiwork of the ULFA, the Superintendent of Police said it was too early to confirm that.

Cooch Behar district CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) secretariat member Akhil Pramanick also claimed that it was an ULFA operation and demanded that the police rescue Saha at the earliest.

Jhulan said that at least 10 businessmen of the locality had received extortion letters from ULFA demanding a large sum of money recently.

He, however, could not confirm whether Saha had received any such letter. Local businessmen called a 12-hour bandh in Baxirhat today (Dec 14, 2004) protesting against the abduction.