In Kailali, police have arrested three individuals accused of kidnapping, holding two youths hostage, and assaulting them. The suspects are 20-year-old Bibek Khadka from Masta Rural Municipality-6 in Bajhang, Bishal Bhatt from Amargadhi Municipality in Dadeldhura, and Amit Negi from Dilasaini Rural Municipality in Baitadi, according to Kailali Chief Superintendent of Police (SP) Padam Bahadur Bista.
A team led by Chief Police Inspector Yogesh Khatri from the Ward Police Office in Dhangadhi apprehended the suspects on Monday. They are charged with abducting two students living in a tent in Dhangadhi on Sunday, detaining them in a small house, and beating them.
The victims, identified as an 18-year-old from Masta Rural Municipality-1 and a 17-year-old from Kedarsyu Rural Municipality-6 in Bajhang, were reportedly taken from their camp in Dhangadhi on Sunday evening. The suspects held them in a house near the Red Cross office, where they were assaulted.
Police revealed that a video recording of the assault shows the suspects beating the victims with sticks and their hands. The suspects had allegedly been harassing the victims previously, entering their rooms to force them to do laundry, stealing food, and taking cash and clothes from the camp.
Further investigations revealed that the same group also kidnapped 22-year-old Yogendra Shahi from Bankhet in Godawari Municipality, Kailali. Shahi was abducted from Attaria and taken to the Shivpuri forest, where he was stripped naked and beaten, reportedly over a marriage dispute.
SP Bista stated that the suspects, who referred to themselves as “dons,” engaged in a pattern of abducting young individuals, holding them hostage, assaulting them, and robbing them. They even recorded videos of the beatings and shared them to intimidate others.
The three suspects are currently in custody as police continue their investigation into the case.
