Midnapore, Sept. 1: Maoists last night abducted a CPM worker from his house just outside the security forces’ so-called circle of domination.

There was no trace of Kanai Nayek, 34, till late tonight.

“We are searching the local jungles,” said West Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma.

Some 50 armed men came to Kanai’s house and dragged him out, said a resident of Barkola village, only 6km from Lalgarh town, which is crawling with security personnel. “They tied his hands with a towel and took him away.”

Another group raided the house of ration dealer and CPM supporter Lakshmikanta Das at Memul village in Salboni, 10km from Lalgarh.

The Dases had fled home a month ago following threats from the rebels.

Neighbours said the Maoists had taken Lakshmikanta to a kangaroo court in May and asked him to snap ties with the CPM. The guerrillas had also paraded him in the neighbourhood with a garland of shoes around his neck.

While ransacking his house last night, the Maoists found many ration cards and distributed them among the villagers.