Adhikari is just one of the victims of a crime surge targeting Kathmandu's affluent that has sprung up since Nepal's mainstream political parties made peace with former rebel Maoists earlier this year.

Although a bloody decade of civil war has ended, Kathmandu's middle and upper classes complain that for them, life is more dangerous than ever, with a decline in the heavy security presence that marked life during the revolt.

"Over the past few months, crime rates have increased in Kathmandu. The criminals' morale seems to be high because their actions remains unchallenged," Upendra Kanta Aryal, Kathmandu's top police officer told AFP.

"Compared to previous years, kidnappings and robberies have increased in the Kathmandu valley," said Aryal, chief of Kathmandu's Metropolitan Police Crime Department, adding that he could not give precise numbers.

Nepal's political instability, corruption and ineffective policing mean organised criminals in Kathmandu are having a field day.

"The gangs are taking advantage of the transitional period," Kosh Raj Koirala, crime reporter at the English-language Kathmandu Post, told AFP.

"The criminals are targeting rich businessmen, whose family members are kidnapped for ransom. Most of the cases have gone unnoticed as victims are reluctant to seek police help," said Aryal.