Tura, Feb. 4: Suspected ANVC (B) militants abducted the contractor of a rural electrification project of the Meghalaya Electricity Corporation Ltd from Sasatgre, 30km from here, in West Garo Hills this afternoon, police sources said.

Luther Marak and another contractor of the corporation, Manseng Marak, were going from Tura to Nokrek when armed men, suspected to be ANVC (breakaway faction) militants, intercepted them at Sasatgre and beat them up after they refused to comply with an extortion demand.

They were asked to pay Rs 10 lakh but could cough up only Rs 30,000.

The militants then fled with Luther but left Manseng behind as he lay unconscious after being hit on the head. When he recovered, Manseng reported the incident to Rongram police station in West Garo Hills.

“It is believed that the armed men are ANVC (B) militants from what they had shouted at the contractors. Manseng said he could escape as the attackers had thought he might be dead,” West Garo Hills superintendent of police, Mukesh Singh, told this correspondent.

“We have launched a search operation based on his report,” Singh said.