Riding a Bicycle, Accepted a Ride Offer
Tired and Fell Asleep, Woke Up in a Wasteland
Captured the Culprit with Help from a Friendly Local
A Korean YouTuber who went on a bicycle trip to India was reportedly kidnapped by locals for 30 hours.
On the 23rd, JTBC's 'Sageonbanjang' reported that domestic travel YouTuber 'Lerikko' went on a bicycle trip last month to the Indian region of Leh, famous for its trekking courses, and was kidnapped. Lerikko is said to have had three previous trips to India.
He initially planned to take a bus to Leh, but upon learning that the bus only operates two months a year, he eventually set out on the road by bicycle. The distance to the destination was 450 km, and Lerikko cycled for 10 hours a day. When his energy was nearly depleted, a truck stopped in front of him. The local men who got off the truck asked, "Where are you going?" and offered, "We will give you a ride."
Lerikko got into the truck without any suspicion. Since only about 10 km remained to the destination, he thought he would get a ride for just 20 to 30 minutes. However, exhausted, he dozed off and later woke up in a wasteland far from his destination. The locals changed their attitude and threatened Lerikko. They threatened him with sticks, demanded money, tried to take his phone and camera, and gave him unknown drugs.
Lerikko explained the situation, saying, "(The kidnappers) gave me drugs twice. The first time, I pretended to take it but hid it in my hand, but 30 to 40 minutes later, they gave me another drug." He added, "This time, they watched me take it, so I had no choice but to swallow it." After taking the drugs, he said, "I was unconscious for 5 to 6 hours."
Despite being kidnapped, Lerikko quickly contacted an acquaintance to inform them of his location and situation and asked them to report to the police. Eventually, he was released after 30 hours of kidnapping. During this ordeal, he also lost 10,000 rupees (about 160,000 KRW) in cash.
Afterward, Lerikko went to the police station to report the kidnappers, but the local police delayed the investigation, saying it was not their jurisdiction. Only after Lerikko requested the investigation again through a close local acquaintance did the police arrest the kidnappers.
Initially, the kidnappers claimed, "It was not a kidnapping; we took money and gave a ride to the destination," but after being brutally beaten by the police, they admitted to the crime, saying, "We kidnapped for money and did break the camera." Lerikko explained, "The kidnappers knelt and begged for an hour and a half and were severely beaten by the police," adding, "The police said, 'These poor kids, can't we just let it go this once?' and then beat them again."
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