On 14 November, Maoists from Dhankuta kidnapped six young men. Now they've offered to release them, for a ransom. Ranjan Rai, Abinash Rai, Deepak Thapa and Binod Lama, Suraj Lama and Binod Rai were abducted from a local fair and were accused of killing a 62-year-old man. The rebels have now fixed the price of their freedom at Rs 50,000 each. Locals believe they were kidnapped for teasing female Maoists who were bathing near Papani Bazar. But the Maoists district secretary 'Sudarshan' told the press they were taken hostage by the district people's government for accusing Maoists of Padam Bahadur Rai's murder, which they themselves committed. Rai was serving in the Royal Nepali Army battalion in Okhaldhunga.

Dhan Shoba Rai, Suraj's mother says the Maoists made the demand for ransom over the phone. She says, "They have called us many times. When I told that I could not afford their demand they threatened me and told me to bring whatever I could." Parents are in a dilemma: if they accede to the rebels' demands, they will be harassed by the security forces. If not, their boys could end up as human shields in the next Maoist offensive.