Cadres of Jwala Singh led Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (JTMM-J) abducted a youth in Siraha district Thursday night.

Sumit Karki, 26, an employee at the Rural Women Development Centre in Dhangadhi was taken away to an unknown destination by a group of armed cadres of JTMM-J from his residence at 10 pm Thursday while he was sleeping, reports quoting family members said.

Claiming the responsibility of Karki’s abduction, JTMM-J’s Siraha district incharge Tufan Singh Bidrohi said that the group had intended to abduct Sumit’s father Shalikram Karki, a resource person at a local school, on charges of corruption, but as he managed to escape they had instead abducted his son.

Police are said to have started a search operation for the missing youth.

The two factions of JTMM have stepped up targeted killings, abduction and extortion in Terai in recent weeks.