Forced to take medicine and robbed... Korean YouTuber kidnapped by assailants in India escapes

"Will give you a ride" Kidnapped to a wasteland
Drugged and robbed... Escaped after 30 hours
YouTuber "Careless behavior... Everyone be careful"

A travel YouTuber was kidnapped in India. The photo shows the Indian national flag. Source=Pixabay

A Korean travel YouTuber traveling to India was kidnapped.

JTBC's 'Sageon Banjang' reported on the 23rd about YouTuber 'Lerikko' and the experience he had while on a bicycle trip in India. The YouTuber planned to take a bus to the Leh area, famous for its trekking courses. However, upon learning that the bus to Leh operates only two months a year, he decided to ride his bicycle instead. He cycled 450 km, riding 10 hours a day.

With only 10 km left to his destination, his stamina, exhausted from continuous cycling, finally gave out. At that moment, a passing truck stopped. The locals who got out of the vehicle kindly asked, "Where is your destination?" and said, "We will give you a ride." Grateful, the YouTuber accepted the offer and got on the truck. Overcome by fatigue, he dozed off, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself in an unfamiliar wasteland.

The locals’ attitude, which he had thought was considerate of tourists, completely changed. They threatened Lerikko with sticks, demanded money, and tried to take his phone and camera. They even attempted to force him to take unknown drugs. The YouTuber recalled, "They made me take medicine twice. The first time, I pretended to swallow it but hid it in my hand. About 30 to 40 minutes later, they gave me another pill and told me to take it. They watched closely to see if I took it properly, so I had no choice but to swallow it. After taking it, I couldn’t regain consciousness for 5 to 6 hours."

After barely waking up, he secretly contacted an acquaintance, explained his location and situation, and asked them to report to the police. However, one of the kidnappers confiscated his phone, used a translator to understand the message, took about 10,000 rupees (approximately 160,000 KRW) in cash, and threw the YouTuber out of the truck. After about 30 hours of captivity, he was released and went to the police station to report the kidnappers. However, the local police showed a passive attitude, saying it was not their jurisdiction. Frustrated, the YouTuber requested an investigation again through a close local acquaintance, and only then did the police find and arrest the kidnappers.

The arrested kidnappers initially claimed, "We didn’t kidnap him; we were paid to give him a ride to his destination." But under police pressure, they admitted, "We kidnapped him to steal money. We did break his camera."

The YouTuber said, "The kidnappers were severely beaten by the police. They knelt and begged for over an hour. The police said, 'These are poor kids, can’t we let them off once?' while continuing to beat them." Ultimately, the kidnappers were punished with three days in detention. The YouTuber said, "My first hitchhiking attempt was successful, so I didn’t worry much about the second one. It was a careless judgment. I hope everyone travels safely."