Chandigarh, Dec 17 (PTI) The body of a 20-year-old man who was kidnapped for ransom three weeks ago from a village in Punjab's Muktsar district was found on Saturday, police said.

Harmandeep Singh's body was found buried in a field in Sham Khera village in Malout, more than 40 km from his village, they said.

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Station House Officer of Kotbhai police station (Muktsar) Inspector Raman Kumar said five people, natives of Punjab and Rajasthan, have been arrested in the case.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the kidnappers had strangled the man right after abducting him on November 25, police said, adding despite this they kept demanding ransom from his family.

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The kidnappers had also threatened Singh's family not to report the matter. However, the family later filed a complaint, they said.

Police said the family had received a ransom call and a letter from kidnappers demanding Rs 30 lakh.

The main accused, Navjot, fled to Dubai after the incident and kept making ransom calls from there as well, they said.

He was also allegedly involved in another killing for ransom in April this year, they said.

According to police, one of the arrested accused got the ransom letter written by his child.

Singh's murder evoked a sharp reaction from the opposition parties, who targeted the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government over alleged deteriorating law and order in the state.

"Devastating! Anarchy/lawlessness/jungle raj. On November 25, Harmandeep was kidnapped from village Kotbhai in my constituency Gidderbaha. Kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 30 lakhs. As his parents couldn't pay, he was killed on Dec 16. @AAPPunjab govt owes an answer to parents and people of Punjab," Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said in a tweet.

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also targeted the government over the incident.

"The law and order situation has become such that even common people are being asked to pay ransoms," Badal said in a statement.

He said Singh's parents owned only seven acres of land and they were in no position to pay the Rs 30-lakh ransom demanded by his kidnappers.

Asserting that no one was safe, Badal claimed no investment is coming into the state and even industrialists and traders in Punjab were contemplating shifting from here.

"Heart-wrenching. Another innocent's life was snuffed out because of the AAP government's failure to rein in gangsters. Extortionists have taken over Punjab," Badal tweeted.

"Chief minister Mann has no moral authority to continue in office. My condolences to Harman's family. We are with you in this moment of utmost grief," he further said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)