Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch sleuths have arrested three suspected Bodo militants here on Tuesday from a makeshift house in Avalahalli on the city outskirts.

Boben Mushai, 43, Jelson Bosemuthorai, 20, and Narswan Narjari(25) are the arrested.

The operation was carried out by the officials of the Organised Crime Wing (OCW) of the CCB based on a tip-off from their Assam counterparts.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Jitendranath, the tro were part of the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDRB) and used to indulge in criminal activities to provide financial assistance to the outfit.

The CCB sleuths said that they were involved in a kidnap case along with their associates. On February 22, the trio along with their associates Birmol, Fakhom, Jibon, Ansul Mushai and Manam Basumathari had abducted a minor boy, the son a pig farm owner in Bhutan, and his assistant from Bhutan and demanded Rs 20 lakh.

The gang took the victim to the Chirang forest area in Indo-Bhutan border and tortured them in captivity for five days. They freed them after getting a ransom of Rs 20 lakhs, which was handed over to the militant outfit.

The Assam police who launched a manhunt for the accused could arrest only five of them, the trio managed to flee and came to Bengaluru last week.

The accused were handed over to the Assam police for further investigations, he added.