Kathmandu, July 20:

Activists of the Youth Force today rescued two minor girls kidnapped on Friday from Ratna Chowk of Pokhara by a woman residing in their neighbourhood.

A restaurant dancer, Bhawana Gurung, had kidnapped Asha Gurung, 12, and Rabina Rana Magar, 11, of Ratna Chowk and kept them in Hotel Plaza in Lakeside before taking them to Kathmandu the same evening. In Kathmandu, she had kept the minors in Heritage Hotel at Sundhara.

According to Kamala Gurung, a member of a Mothers’ Group in Ratna Chowk, Bhawana had kidnapped the girls to sell them.

Also a close neighbour of Asha and Rabina, Gurung said the Mothers’ Group first informed the police about the missing girls but to no avail.

“We found that the girls were kidnapped by Bhawana from the taxi driver who had dropped the kids along with the kidnapper in Lakeside,” she said over the telephone.

According to her, Bhawana lured the girls with clothes and took her to Kathmandu. She said Bhawana had denied taking the kids with her when they telephoned her.

She said the locals then approached Youth Force cadres in Pokhara who in turn mobilised their comrades in Kathmandu to rescue the girls and nab the kidnapper.

The two girls were rescued from the Hotel at around 8 am today and were airlifted to Pokhara. According to the Youth Force members, Bhawana had forced the girls to drink beer. The girls said Bhawana had told them that she would sell them.

Members of the Youth Force informed the police at the Metropolitan Police Range, Hanuman Dhoka, and the police arrested Bhawana.