The three were abducted by the same group separately over a span of two days, indicating an alarming trend of Indian criminal groups preying on Nepali nationals visiting bordering Indian towns.[break]
Meanwhile, the wife of one of the three Nepali abductees claimed the body found on the bank of Kekrajuli River in Assam, was not that of her husband. Previously, in a news report run by several newspapers, the deceased was identified as Mahesh Ghimire, 60, a resident of Dhulabari in Jhapa, by Assam state police.
Mahesh, who ran a cosmetic shop in Dhulabari, was abducted on October 8. He had gone to Silligudi, a bustling town in North West Bengal bordering Nepal´s Jhapa district, to buy cosmetic items for his shop. Three weeks after Mahesh was kidnapped, two other Nepali nationals -- Jhalak Raman Subedi, 61, and Anil Pokhrel, 22, from Surunga village-5 in Jhapa -- were also abducted from Siligudi.
According to Arpan, Mahesh´s son, his father had called his family members on October 11 to tell them about his abduction. Mahesh had used his kidnappers´ cell phone to call his family members. Mahesh´s kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs 50 million. The kidnappers had later agreed to settle for IRs 500,000 following a lengthy negotiation. Mahesh´s family had handed over the ransom money to the kidnappers in Silligudi 16 days after his kidnapping.
"The kidnappers had promised us that they would free my husband soon after receiving the money," Mahesh´s wife Shova said. "But, my husband has not returned home yet."
The Assam state police have arrested a person who took the ransom money from Shobha. However, he has not disclosed the whereabouts of Mahesh. During an interrogation by the Assam state police, he informed that he had handed over Mahesh to his friend whom the police have not traced so far.
After the news about the recovery of Mahesh´s body broke out, his wife Shobha rushed to Assam. "I saw the dead body," she told Republica. "It was not my husband´s."
Jhalak Raman and his nephew Anil, who set out for a pilgrimage to Kamaksha dham, a famous holy place for Hindus in Guwahati, are missing too.
Like Mahesh, they also called their family members to inform them about their kidnappings. The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs 10 million.
However, Jhalak Raman´s family has not paid the ransom money so far. The kidnappers have used the same number to call Jhalak Raman, Anil and Mahesh´s family members.
"They had been frequently calling us for ransom," Jhalak Raman´s son Subash said. "For the past few days, however, they have not made a single call." The abductors have identified themselves as the ULFA cadres.
However, sometimes, they have told the abductees´ families that they belong to some other group.
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