KATHMANDU, March 27: A Nepali woman has been arrested on charges of kidnapping an American woman in Pokhara.
The arrested individual has been identified as Sarita Lama, 37, from Belkotgadhi Municipality-4, Nuwakot. She was arrested with the help of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Police, the Makwanpur Police Office, and the Kaski Police.
Kidnapping cases up by 29%
A 70-year-old American woman had come to Nepal for sightseeing and went to Pokhara to visit the Muktinath Temple. The woman, who was staying at a hotel in Lakeside, Pokhara, is alleged to have been kidnapped by Lama. The woman was abducted from Pokhara and taken to Makwanpur, where she was held captive, according to the Kaski Police.
The woman, who had a prior acquaintance with an American, had reportedly demanded a ransom of 300,000 euros. The victim informed the US embassy in Nepal about the incident. After the embassy provided the information on Tuesday, the police stations in Kaski, the CIB, and the police in Makwanpur began looking for the woman.
After some investigations, the American woman, who was kidnapped from Pokhara, was rescued from Makwanpur.
Lama was arrested and is under investigation for kidnapping and unlawful detention, with a seven-day remand obtained from the Kathmandu District Court.