Kantipur Report KATHMANDU, May 24 - Two armed men, allegedly members of an international kidnapping ring, were killed during a shootout with the police at Basundhara in Kathmandu early Saturday morning. The men — identified as Sujit Tamang and Ramesh Prasad Sah — were killed on the spot. Policemen involved in the shootout said they were forced to retaliate in defense after an armed group of four persons on two motorcycles started firing at the police. The police had urged the shooters to stop their motorcycles saying they were on patrolling duty. "But the pillion riders
opened fire at us, leaving us no option," said Deputy Superintendent of Police Sher Bahadur Basnet, who led the shootout. Initially the two motorcycles were speeding, but slowed down after the police asked them to stop. Then they suddenly began firing. The police ducked behind a van and began shooting back and in course of the shootout, fired at least 17 rounds. According to Basnet, all four of them could have escaped if one motorcycle rider had not been hit. The other two, however, managed to escape. Despite falling down, the gunmen continued firing when the police shot them dead, said Basnet. Conveniently, the police later identified the two killed as wanted men and were actually the ones they were looking for Saturday night. The police recovered country-made pistols and ammunition from the site. This was the first instance of gangsters being killed in an encounter with the police in Kathmandu. In the previous six shootouts, there were only injuries. Acting on a tip-off, the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) had placed security ambushes in various strategic places in the capital to nab them. Initially, the police had been disappointed for failing to track the accused for hours and they were about to give up. The police said the men were members of the gang involved in the abduction of Dundup Lama, son of Singha Bahadur, of Gangabu. The group, which also has links with Indian criminals, had kidnapped Lama on Wednesday with the help of an unidentified girl and demanded a ransom of Rs. 50 million, according to the police. However, the kidnappers later agreed to a sum of Rs. 7 million. As planned with the police, Lama had deposited the ransom amount in the kidnappers' Nepalgunj-based bank account. "The police in Kathmandu and Nepalgunj left no stone unturned to rescue Lama, save money and nab the kidnapping ring," said Deputy Inspector General of Police Bharat G.C, who is Acting Commissioner at Metropolitan Police Commissioner office. Police said that in the last few days, they have arrested 14 members of this kidnapping ring from different parts of the capital and Nepalgunj.
