Kathmandu, February 12:

A police team from Bouddha Ward Police Office today rescued 15-year-old Chhiring Sonam Sherpa, who was kidnapped by some unidentified men from Bouddha on Friday, from a lodge in Thamel.

The police also arrested five persons in connection with the abduction from the Planet Guest House during a raid in the wee hours of Sunday. Som Bahadur Lama of Pyutar-7, Lalitpur, Rajan Khatri, Harka Bahadur Sunuwar, Lokpriya Sunuwar and Chola Raj Dahal of Okhaldhunga were arrested by the police team under Inspector Pratap Gurung of the Ward Police Office.

The abductors had telephoned the boy’s mother and demanded a ransom of Rs 1 million for the safe return of Sonam, a class 8 student of Rosy Garden School at Kumarigal, Bouddha. Sonam’s father resides in the United States.

Gurung said that investigators were able to trace the kidnappers when they managed to locate the PCO the kidnappers had used.

“They (the abductors) called Lhamu Sherpa, the mother of the boy, from Kapan. We were able to trace the phone from which they had placed the call,” he said.

According to Gurung, the kidnappers had called from a local PCO. During their investigation, the police discovered that only seven persons had placed calls from the PCO. Among them, three were boys, he added.

“We found out the addresses of all three boys and kept them under watch,” Gurung said, adding that the interrogation of one Chola Raj Dahal, one of the abductors, had helped bring to light the story behind the kidnapping.

The five arrested persons have been sent to the Kathmandu District Police Office, Hanumandhoka, for further investigation.