Chandigarh Police arrest two Australians on kidnapping charges

Chandigarh, Aug 20 (ANI): The Crime Branch of Chandigarh Police on Friday arrested three persons including two Australian nationals for plotting to stage a kidnap in order to extract ransom.

The accused taken into custody have been identified as Grant Alanestein, Simon Galti and Gursher Singh, a resident of Punjab's Ropar town, presently residing in Australia.

Chandigarh Inspector General of Police P K Srivastava said the police monitored the accused persons movements and arrested them before they could attempt to execute the intended kidnapping.

"The Crime Branch of Chandigarh Police got some credible information, that two foreign nationals from Australia, one is holder of a British passport and the other is Australian passport holder. They along with an Indian, who is also living in Australia, they have hatched a conspiracy to kidnap a person in Chandigarh for ransom," said Srivastava.

"The amount to be realised through this ransom was to be invested again in drug trade," he added.

The police reportedly seized drugs and weapons from the foreign nationals at the time of their arrest.

"From the search, we got some Hashish, Charas (drugs) from the possession form one of them, and two knives and booked them under Arms Act and various sections of kidnapping. So, that is the brief I have right now," said Srivastava, mentioning that one of the Australian nationals was a truck driver and other one was a security guard. (ANI)