Kidnapper of Indian men appears in court

A 27-year-old Indian man, who was arrested in Hong Kong in connection with the kidnapping of three Indian businessmen last month, appeared in a court in China to face the charge.

Karmjit Singh, who lives in Hong Kong, appeared in Fanling Court in the ciy Thursday to face the charge of kidnapping businessman Manmohan Singh Mangat, his banker Satwinder Singh and lawyer Gurinder Singh Gill Oct 25, the South China Morning Post reported Friday.

The three men had arrived here from India on a business trip.

The prosecution told Principal Magistrate Bernadette Woo Huey Fang that a man approached Mangat in India last month and told him a businessman in Hong Kong was interested in buying land he owned.

The court heard an unidentified person met the three men at the airport and drove them to a house in Sha Tau Kok, where they were held captive for three days.

The man who contacted Mangat in India was later arrested and he then provided Karmjit's contact information to the police.

The three kidnapped men were set free Oct 28 after their belongings, including watches and mobile phones, were snatched away.

The kidnappers also demanded a ransom of $2.5 million from their families in India.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty in the court.

The court heard that the three Indian men kidnapped in Hong Kong last week were repeatedly assaulted, had their hands tied and hot water poured over their heads by the assailants.

The three victims were unable to identify Karmjit.

The prosecution asked for more time to conduct forensic investigations and to compare Karmjit's fingerprints to those found on some items that were produced as evidence in the court.

The lawyer for Karmjit, Chan Ho-yin, said his client had gone to the police voluntarily.

"The defendant went to the police station on his own initiative to assist the police because he was given the sense? he might be under suspicion that he was involved," Chan said.

Woo adjourned the case until next Thursday and remanded the accused in custody.

Though Karmjit was the first person to appear in court, police said they have charged another 38-year-old man with kidnapping Friday.

In all, five people have been detained in connection with the case till now and police are looking for three more people.