KATHMANDU: Nepal Police have busted a kidnapping racket and arrested five Indian nationals on Wednesday for allegedly holding Bangladeshi tourists hostage for ransom in the Himalayan nation.
Those arrested include Shiva Saurabh, 34, from Delhi, Ramesh Jadav, 64, from Kanpur; and Dipak Kumar, 32, Sandip Kumar, 36, and Jasprit Singh, 38, all from Punjab, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Apil Bohara, spokesperson for Kathmandu Metropolitan Police.
The gang had abducted seven Bangladeshi nationals visiting Nepal under the pretext of offering them cheap travel packages, Bohara told PTI.
The Bangladeshi nationals were held hostage in a rented house in Lalitpur Metropolitan City, within the Kathmandu Valley, and were subjected to both mental and physical torture, police said.
The criminals seized USD 2,000-3,500 from each person and their mobile phones, and forced them to request millions of dollars in ransom via WhatsApp.
The Bangladeshi nationals were reportedly beaten and threatened with death. The police, acting upon a tip-off, arrested the Indian nationals from different parts of Kathmandu.
The Kathmandu District Court has granted a six-day judicial remand for further investigation.