Police arrested two members of an extortion gang in a case filed over kidnapping four tourists and keeping them in captivity at a Kolatoli cottage in Cox's Bazar.

The arrestees were identified as Rashedul Islam, 25, and Md Shakil, 22, from Islampur area at Eidgaon upazila in Cox’s Bazar, said Md Rezaul Karim, Additional Superintendent of Cox’s Bazar tourist police on Sunday.

They were arrested on Sunday night from Sugandha point of the beach.

Also read: 4 rescued from Cox's Bazar cottage; 11 extortion gang members held

“The arrestees in primary interrogation confessed they were part of a gang of at least 11 people who used to trap tourists to come to Sheuli cottage and later involved them in women and drugs related scandals to blackmail and extort money,”said Additional SP Rezaul Karim.

“They used to capture objectionable photos of the tourists secretly and later threaten to spread them through the internet. As a result none of the people who became victims of this gang’s ploy so far reported the matter to police,” he said.

A case was filed in this regard against four named people and seven or eight anonymous people in this regard at Cox’s bazar sadar police station.

“Two of the named accused have been arrested and efforts are on to arrest others,” said Additional SP Rezaul karim.

Also read: Depression in Bay: Avoid Cox’s Bazar beach, say tourist police

On August 7, a team of Tourist Police raided Sheuli Cottage at night and rescued four people from captivity of a gang, members of whom managed to flee.

Two of the rescued people came to Kolatoli with patients and went to Sheuli Cottage to spend the night as some of the gang members offered rooms at low rates, said police.

When the tourists refused to pay the inflated prices later claimed by the gang members, they locked the rooms from outside, said police.