Kabul, Aug 2: An Indian national and two others working for international food company Sodexo in Afghanistan were kidnapped and killed by gunmen here on Thursday.

"An Indian, a Malaysian and a Macedonian citizen were abducted and killed. We have found their bodies," a spokesman for Kabul's police chief said. The Indian national is said to be 39, the Malaysian 64 and the Macedonian 37, according to the BBC.

Investigators said that the trio, believed to be working as cooks for Sodexo, were taken from their Toyota Corolla car on their way to the airport. Their bodies were found later in the Musashi district of Kabul province, reported Afghanistan Times newspaper.

Police were treating it as "a terrorist incident", the BBC reported citing an Afghan government official.

"They were shot dead and their bodies were found inside a car," said Nusrat Rahimi, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Kidnapping by militants or criminal gangs seeking a ransom has been rife in Afghanistan in recent years. Locals are most often the targets, but foreigners have also been abducted.



Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to release Mihir Shah, the main accused in a BMW hit-and-run case, on the ground of "illegal" arrest.

Shah, the 24-year-old son of a former Shiv Sena leader, and his driver Rajrishi Bidawat had filed petitions in the HC claiming they have been illegally detained and sought immediate release.

Shah was arrested on July 9, two days after he allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area, killing 45-year-old woman Kaveri Nakhwa and leaving her husband Pradeep injured.

His driver Bidawat, who was also present in the car at the time of the accident, was arrested on the day of the incident.

As per their pleas, the police had not informed them the grounds of their arrest at the time, which they claimed was in violation of the law.

A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande on Monday dismissed the petitions.

"Both the petitions are dismissed," the court said.

The duo sought their release, claiming any further detention would be in utter violation of the constitutional mandate and a failure to comply with Section 50 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Under this section, the police, while arresting a person, have to communicate to him/her full particulars of the offence for which he/she is being arrested or other grounds for such arrest.

Both Shah and Bidawat are presently in judicial custody.

In their habeas corpus (produce the person) petitions filed in the HC in August, Shah and Bidawat claimed their detention was illegal and sought that they be released immediately.

Shah, in the plea, sought quashing of the orders passed by a local court remanding him first in police custody and then judicial custody.

He also sought for his arrest to be declared as illegal.

Shah is accused of speeding off towards the Bandra Worli Sea Link after the accident, even as the woman remained on the bonnet of the car and then got entangled in its wheels, for a distance of more than 1.5 kilometres.

As per police, Shah, who fled from the scene, was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

Mihir Shah's father and former Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Shah had also been arrested in the case, but was later granted bail.