Police catch kidnapping gang in eastern Afghanistan

CHARIKAR, Afghanistan, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) — Police have arrested a three-member kidnapping gang in eastern Afghanistan's Parwan province, a provincial police spokesman said Tuesday.

The kidnappers were involved in the abduction and torture of Afghans abroad and demanded money from their families, but were arrested by police upon their return to Afghanistan, said Fazal Rahim Maskenyar, spokesman for the provincial police.

Recently, the arrested gang kidnapped a child in the capital Kabul and demanded $30,000 ransom for his release, Maskeyar added.

The Afghan transitional government has stepped up measures to combat all forms of crime in the war-torn Asian country.