Siliguri, 13th August: A case of friendship turning into a criminal act led to the arrest of six individuals involved in a kidnapping scheme.
As per details received, Lakshmi Gurung, a resident of Jhapa district in Nepal, had recently returned from Saudi Arabia and befriended Pawan Rai, a resident of Assam. Their friendship took a dark turn when Rai, along with five accomplices, planned to abduct Gurung.
On August 8, Gurung was lured to Siliguri, where he was kidnapped, and an 8-lakh-rupee ransom was demanded. Gurung managed to inform his family about the ransom demand. The kidnappers instructed the family to bring the money to Fulbari on Sunday night.
In response, Gurung’s family reported the incident to the NJP police station. Acting swiftly, the police set up surveillance at a hotel in Fulbari. When the kidnappers arrived to collect the ransom, six suspects identified as Suraj Seva, Dinesh Seva from Kurseong, Shimulbari, Rewas Pradhan from Mirik, and Manoj Thakur and Christopher Hembram from Assam, were apprehended by the police.
The arrested individuals were presented in court on Monday and have been taken into police custody for further investigation.