Police rescued a seven-year-old abducted boy, a resident of the state of Bihar, India, from Damak on Tuesday.

The security personnel also arrested three suspects in connection to the crime. Badri Yadav, 47, Shree Prasad Mukhiya, 31 and his wife Anju Devi Mukhiya, 27, were made public amid a press meet in the District Police Office in Chandragdhi on Wednesday. Yadav, a leader of the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal, had contested for the federal parliament from Jhapa-5 last year.

Mahafuj Alam, son of Mohammad Saddam of Supaul in Bihar, was rescued from a Damak-based hotel.

Preliminary investigation showed that two unidentified Indian nationals kidnapped the boy from his maternal uncle’s house in Bihar on December 6 and took him to Gaurgunj, Nepal, where he was handed over to Yadav and the Mukhiya couple.

Superintendent of Police Bhim Prasad Dhakal said the arrested trio kept the boy in Gaurgunj for two days after which he was held hostage at room No 107 of Deurali Hotel in Damak.

The abductors had telephoned the boy’s family and demanded IRs 1.5 million as ransom for his safe release, and even threatened to murder him if the ransom was not provided, said Dhakal. Nepal Police and Indian Police have been jointly investigating into the case. The trio were presented at the district court on Wednesday. The court remanded the suspects into custody for five days to carry out further investigation.