A woman and her son who went missing from Manma of Khandachakra Municipality-1 in Kalikot district on Thursday night were found in Nepalgunj on Saturday.

The duo—Gita Kumari Jaisi Shahi, 25, and her four-year-old son—had been living in a rented room in Manma for over 15 years.

Gita is the second wife of Dan Bahadur Shahi, a local businessman and member of the CPN-UML, Kalikot.

On Thursday, the mother-son duo had returned to their rented room in the evening after having dinner at a local eatery. When the duo were not found on Friday morning, relatives and friends had protested in front of the District Police Office, demanding prompt search operation and the reason behind their disappearance.

Police said the woman came in contact with her sister-in-law from Karkando in Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City on Saturday afternoon.

Police Inspector Yagya Raj Joshi at Kalikot District Police Office said Banke police are preparing to send them to Kalikot.

Joshi said the woman has claimed that they were kidnapped.

Gita telephoned her sister-in-law Samita Subedi in Kalikot and claimed that a gang of three people abducted them at around 3am on Friday, police said.

Gita was living separately from her husband due to constant disputes, according to Gita’s family members. According to Pabitra Jaisi Dhamala, a relative of Gita, Dan Bahadur was physically abusing Gita for a very long time. Gita has filed two cases against him at the district court demanding a divorce and her and her son’s share of property.

Gita’s family has accused Dan Bahadur of raping Gita five years ago, which led to her pregnancy. “He married her after she got pregnant,” Dhamala said. “Since then, he had been physically abusing her. She left his house to live separately with her son. She has sought divorce and property rights from him.”

Police have arrested three suspects, including Dan Bahadur and his first wife, for investigation.