Police said Kiran Kumari Singh Rajput, 31 of Bhaktapur was arrested from Kathmandu Valley while her accomplice Kameswor Singh, 31 was detained from Rautahat District after tracking their call records following complaints by businessmen whom they had contacted demanding money.[break]
Police said the group, which included another man - Nandu Yadav Patel of Bara district who is absconding, was using different Indian mobile sim cards to extort businessmen.
PHOTO: KAMAL PARIYAR
Publicizing the arrests at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Devendra Subedi, chief of Metropolitan Police Crime Division, said, “They threatened different businessmen including gold traders with their lives unless they transferred Rs 10 million.”
Rajput who masterminded the plan, collected information of the businessmen including the information of their family members and provided it to Singh, according to the police. Singh aka Abhaya, Chief of Bhojpura State committee, Janatantric Terai Madhesh Mukti Party (Bhagat Singh Group), is a member of peace talks team with the government. Rajput owns a garment factory near Nayabazar.
Singh called businessmen on the basis of information provided by Rajput and demanded money be transferred to an account of Mamata Dusad, a porter who was already dead, according to the police. Rajput and Singh had known each other for a year after Singh helped her collect her money, police said.
SSP Subedi said, “This is an example of collaboration of local criminals with transnational criminals in organized crime.” While the crimes related to extortion had gone down in the last few months, the latest instance has alerted the police, he said.
Police said none of the businessmen had paid the money to the accused and their relationship with the Daud Ibrahim has not been established.
Five accused arrested from guesthouse
Police on Wednesday arrested absconding people who were engaged in various unlawful activities from Himchuli guesthouse, Baghbazar.
Among those arrested was Uday Kanta Mishra, president of Samyukta Janatantrik Mukti Morcha(Azad Group).
The others were Pradip Mandal, Central committee member of Samyukta Janatantrik Mukti Morcha(Azad Group), Dipendra Kumar Yadhav, District member of NC youth wing Taraun Dal, Khushilal Thakur and Jayakumar Yadav for their alleged involvement in murder, robbery and weapon trafficking.
Police said, “They were in Kathmandu to have peace talk with the government in order to purify themselves from different charges.” However they were arrested by the Metropolitan Police on the request of the Siraha Police. All of them have been sent to Siraha for further investigation.
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