KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 20

Police rescued an eight-yearold girl unharmed and arrested three culprits involved in the incident.

The victim, Anukha Shah, was kidnapped while she was playing outside her rented room at around 11:30am, at Manakamana Chowk of Mahalaxmi Municipality.

Raju Karki, 30, from Hariwon Municipality of Sarlahi, who had been watching the girl’s activities for the past few days, had kidnapped the girl.

Karki lured the girl to sit on his bicycle and rode with her to the rented rooms of his relatives at Harisiddhi, at least six kilometres away from the girl’s residence. Police have identified the relatives, Sita Pariyar, 23, and her husband Krishna Tolami,40, as accomplices to the crime.

Karki, a daily wage earner had lost his job and had been staying with the relatives. He was seen loitering around the crime scene for the past few days, according to the locals.

Locals, who saw Karki leaving the scene with the girl, had informed the police.

Police sprung into action and rescued the girl in three hours following her kidnap and hostage taking.

According to DSP Mitra Bandhu Sharma at Metropolitan Police Circle, Satdobato, the kidnapper had threatened the girl saying that he would kill her younger brother if she failed to follow his commands.

All three have been charged with hostage taking.

The girl’s father is a migrant worker in Malaysia while the mother works at a nearby factory.