Sri Lankan Tourists Kidnapped In Amritsar, Two Arrested After Dramatic Rescue Op

The tourists checked into a private hotel in Amritsar, unaware of the trap awaiting them. Kidnappers relocated two and demanded $8,000 ransom from their friends.

Amritsar: Following a dramatic rescue operation, the Amritsar Police on Wednesday arrested two persons here on charges of kidnapping two Sri Lankan nationals and demanding $8000 ransom from their friends.

Revealing details, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that six people from Sri Lanka — Jehan, Karbika, Lalith Piantha, Kanishka, Sumardhan and Nilujatin, had come to India on a tourist trip. Things turn drastic after they came across Asitha, another Sri Lankan who was in Delhi. Despite meeting him for the first time, the group was persuaded to travel to Amritsar under false promise of securing work visas for Albania.

The tourists then checked into a private hotel in Amritsar, unaware of the trap. Two kidnappers, Ankit and Inderjit Singh, gained the group’s trust and then allegedly abducted two members, a man and a woman, from the hotel. The accused duo relocated the victims to another private hotel and demanded a ransom of $8,000 from their friends, Police Commissioner said.

When the matter came to light, Amritsar police launched a swift investigation. With the help of Hoshiarpur Police, they used phone tracing technology, tracked the kidnappers and eventually managed to arrest them.

Further investigation is underway to apprehend the third suspect. Meanwhile, the group of Sri Lankan nationals has been assured full safety during their stay in India.

"Ankit, one of the accused, had previously been deported to India, while the third accomplice remains at large. Stringent action will be initiated against all the culprits," Commissioner Bhullar stated, adding that the individuals who were kidnapped have been rescued safely.

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