The youngsters allegedly involved in the kidnapping were arrested in separate raids in Tanahun and Kathmandu. [break]
Sushma Limbu Shrestha of Hangdewa -7 in Taplegunj district had carried her baby son Mahesh with her during a business trip in the capital. She trades in yarsagumba medicinal herbs.
Police said Basanta Gurung, 19, of Sirdibas-2 in Gorkha district abducted the toddler while he was working for Sushma as a business aide. Basanta had employed a relative, Raju Gurung, 21, to take the child hostage and used Surya Man Lama, 17, of Dumre in Tanahun for receiving the ransom.
A special squad from Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu ambushed Basanta and Surya at Dumre Friday evening as the latter purportedly moved to take the ransom from Sushma as per their negotiations. The police later rescued the child from Basanta´s rented room at Teku in a raid during which Raju was arrested.
Basanta had abducted the child from Morang-Sunsari guest house at Balaju the evening of August 21. “A few hours after kidnapping my son, he sent an SMS demanding a ransom of Rs 6 million,” Sushma told myrepublica.com.
Sushma said that Basanta must have most likely planned the kidnap after learning about her transactions during a trip to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu.
“He initially tried coaxing the amount from me, mentioning some deal, but I could not believe him,” she said. “The same day I flatly turned him down he kidnapped my son."
“He took my son from the guest house room when I was bathing. He had become pretty familiar with my boy during the trip and I had little premonition of his ill intent,” she added.
Basanta had sent threatening text messages to Sushma during the week-long captivity of her son. Sushma said that Basanta initially demanded Rs 6 million but reduced it to Rs 5 million as she kept on negotiating in consultation with the police.
Presenting herself at the office of the Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu on Saturday, Sushma, whose husband has been working in Malaysia for a few years, lamented confiding in an unknown person for business purposes and getting into trouble such as she had never imagined.
“Following this incident, my husband has advised me to quit this business...,” added she, caressing the child who was sleeping in her lap after the week-long ordeal.
“They were reunited due to great good luck and earnest investigations,” said the investigative officials.
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