HETAUDA: Makawanpur Police made public two persons held on the charge of kidnapping two truck drivers and detaining their helpers in the district on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Shankar Adhikari, 35, and Bhuyat Thapa, 30, of Hetauda-1.

According to DSP Shishu Sharma, District Police Office, Makawanpur, an unidentified group led by Adhikari and Thapa, who came in motorbikes and a private car had forcefully taken them away from their vehicle from Lachka, Hetauda-17 last Sunday. They were transporting oxen in the truck.

The victims have been identified as Taranath Pandey,18, of Piple, Chitwan; and driver Buddhi Bahadur Pokhrel, 30, of Bhandara-9 of the district. The accused had demanded a huge ransom after forcing the driver to come out of the vehicle, according to Sharma.

The kidnappers had immediately fled the scene while they were sneaking to Karra on motorbike as they came to know that police were on the way. Hence, the driver and the helper were rescued.

Meanwhile, another gangster led by Adhikari took a truck under control while it was en route to Bhairahawa from Nawalpur of Sarlahi from Lewat of Hetauda-29 on Monday evening and threatened to kill driver Ramesh Thokar, 30, of Dhungrekhola-3, Sarlahi; and his 20-year-old helper Sunil Gautam of Chandrapur-8, Rautahat. They detained the victims in the vehicle itself.

The accused had demanded Rs 40,000 ransom from the truck owner over telephone after they took the truck to the isolated Basamadi area of Hetauda.

A joint search team of Inspector, District police Office Brij Kishor Chaudhary and Inspector, Ward Police Office Madhu Kumar Thapa succeeded in rescuing the driver and his helper.

According to DSP Sharma, more than 10 persons involved in these crimes are at large. Adhikari was held on June 30 and Thapa was held on June 29. ‘’Investigation into the incident is under way,’’ said DSP Sharma.