The rescue of the two friends, abducted on the afternoon of August 20, came as a huge relief to their parents who received them in tears at home.

Law enforcers launched the early morning operation, acting on the confessional statements of Kazi Mostaq Ahmad and his brother Kazi Helaluddin, activists of the Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The two brothers were arrested on Monday. Police believe both Mostaq, a tenant of a mess owned by Simon's family, and Helal had their active role in the abduction.

Police are now trying to track down Joynal, a supplier of electric equipment in Pahartali, who is accused of hiring yesterday's arrestees for keeping watch on Simon and Sanjoy in hostage.

A team from Double Mooring Police Station raided the Biswa Colony area in Khulshi upazila, close to Sitakunda and seven to eight kilometres off Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.

The team rescued Simon and Sanjoy, both 17, unhurt from a thatched house at 5:30am and nabbed the five abductors with a gun and two knives.

Police arrived with Simon and Sanjoy at their residences in the city's Moulvipara area in Agrabad at 6:30am.

Simon's father Rafiq Miah and mother Nasima Begum, and Sanjoy's father Tapan Kumar Dev and mother Laxmi Rani Dev sobbed out their emotions to journalists.

"I feel relieved...thank God," said Rafiq. Sanjoy's parents had similar expressions.

The arrestees are Naushad alias Rubel, 24, son of Abdul Mannan of Musapur in Sandwip; Jalaluddin, 22, son of Jamaluddin of Daudkandi in Comilla; Mizanur Rahman, 18, son of late Ali Haider of Sripur in Magura; Nazrul Islam, 23, son of late Nabalak Miah of Khulshi in Chittagong and Kalu, 25, son of late Shukkur Miah of Ulchapara in Brahmanbaria.

The five kidnappers claimed to be innocent and disclosed the names of the masterminds behind the abduction, while speaking to The Daily Star.

According to their claims, Rubel is a transport worker, Kalu a rickshaw-puller, Nazrul a shoe-shop employee, Mizan a night guard and Jalal a garment worker.

They alleged Joynal employed them to guard the two students in captivity and Mostaq and Helal, now in Bandar police custody, worked as mediators in the abduction to extract ransom on behalf of Joynal.

"Joynal told us his relationship with one of his cousins got strained and he wanted to punish him by kidnapping. He requested us to guard Simon and Sanjoy and gave us Tk 500 each a day for working for him," said one of the arrestees.

Mostaq and Helal admitted that they were Shibir activists in the past and still have links with the Islamic student organisation, but denied their involvement in the abduction.

Mostaq, 24, is a student of economics in Chittagong College and Helal a third year student of West Chal Madrassah in Chatari in Anwara upazila.

Simon and Sanjoy set out to attend a wedding party last Wednesday and slipped into the hands of the abductors.