An armed gang whisked away Aminuddin Laskar, a garment merchant in his early 50s, from Karbala, in Metiabruz, on Thursday morning.

Police examined the spot and talked to Aminuddin?s relatives. ?We?re still looking for leads, as no ransom call has come even 12 hours after the incident,? said H.K. Kusumakar, additional superintendent of police (industrial), South 24-Parganas. ?A complaint of abduction has been lodged with Nadial police station.?

This is the second time Aminuddin has been abducted. Five years ago, he had been picked up by a gang from a hotel in Esplanade. He returned home on his own after four days. Family members said the abductors had taken him to Canning and kept him confined in a launch.

On Thursday, Aminuddin, a resident of Laskarpara, left his four-storeyed house around 6 am for his regular morning walk. ?When he reached Karbala, half-a-km from his home, a taxi approached him. The four men inside dragged him in at gunpoint and sped away,? said Moniruddin Laskar, his younger brother.

The details were narrated to him by a witness, who informed the family about the abduction. Moniruddin denied that his brother had any business rival or was involved in any family tussle.

Local residents are up in arms against police for the ?deteriorating? law and order in the locality. ?In the past two years, more than six businessmen have been kidnapped. All came back after paying a hefty ransom,? a resident said.

Superintendent of South 24-Parganas police S.N. Gupta said a special team had been formed to secure Aminuddin?s release.