Russian intelligence services said Tuesday they had arrested two Russians of Pakistani origin who kidnapped nine Indian nationals and held them hostage for ransom, apparently for criminal purposes, in the northwestern Russian city of Tula.
| "Russians of Pakistani origin"? |
Intelligence officers freed the nine Indians and arrested the two men, who had already been accused of kidnapping in connection with a separate incident, a spokesman for the FSB intelligence services told AFP. The two men were the main organizers of the kidnapping group, the spokesman said, adding that they were also searching for a Moscow-based Pakistani national.
| Anybody want to bet they're Pashtuns? These guys have to be Pashtuns or Baluchis... |
He refused to provide details into when the operation to free the kidnapped Indians took place, how long they were held or who had been asked to provide a ransom for their release. The ring may have been planning to smuggle the kidnapped Indians abroad, Interfax reported, adding that the group is suspected of trafficking nationals from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to Western Europe through Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. |