A youth from Gazole in Malda who was allegedly abducted by a group of criminals on January 26 for ransom was rescued by police from neighbouring South Dinajpur district on Saturday night.

Police have arrested two persons and are in search for some of their associates.

Sources said on Wednesday, Biprajit Saha, 25, went missing from the bus stand of Gazole. Saha makes a living by running his autorickshaw.

“His family filed a missing diary with us. The next day, they received a call from an unidentified caller who demanded Rs 20 lakh as ransom. The youth’s father negotiated with him and the caller agreed to Rs 12 lakh,” said Ranabir Bag, inspector-in-charge of Gazole police station.

Bag and his colleagues started probing the case and came to know that two persons had hired Saha’s autorickshaw from the bus stand for South Dinajpur. Since then, he had been missing.

This made the police form a special team and communicate with the abductors while posing as Saha’s relatives.

“They agreed to meet us at Farakka (in Murshidabad) on January 28 to receive the ransom moneybut eventually didn’t turn up. The next day, they called us at a location in Kaliachak,” said a police officer.

The police team reached the spot and nabbed two persons in Sultanganj, an area near Kaliachak police station.

The duo, identified as Rabbil Sheikh of Mothabari and Assu Sheikh of Kaliachak, were arrested. On interrogation, they revealed the location in South Dinajpur where they had kept Saha.

“We rescued him safely. His autorickshaw was found nearby. Searches are on to nab others involved in the crime,” the officer added.