Monday Oct 19, 2009
The Maldives Police Service on Friday said that they had arrested some of the people who kidnapped an 18-year-old boy in Malé and demanded a Rf25,000 ransom for his release.

At a press conference held by the Police around 7:30pm on Friday, Police said that the boy had been kidnapped around 4:00pm on Thursday as he was walking down Ameenee Magu. Police had managed to rescue him around 1:00pm on Friday.

Police said that a gang of around 15 people had accosted the unidentified teenager near the Water Supply area and had begun pushing and shoving him towards a guesthouse in Maafannu district. His kidnappers had also stolen his Cash Card and tortured him to get the Security PIN Code. They had later used his Cash Card to buy snacks.

Police said that the kidnappers had called up the boy’s father and demanded a Rf25,000 ransom for his release. However, the boy’s parents weren’t very wealthy; the father was a resort worker.

The boy had suffered injuries to the back of his head and various areas of his body, Police said, adding that the boy appeared to have suffered some burn wounds also. The boy’s spectacles had been broken and one his eyes were bloodshot, Police said.

Police have so far arrested four of those involved in the kidnapping, including a 16-year-old boy. Two of them were arrested while inside the guesthouse where the boy was being held. The other two were arrested when they went to meet with the father to retrieve the ransom money. One of the two arrested while trying to get the ransom money had a previous record for criminal activities, Police said.

Police said that the 18-year-old victim had alleged that his kidnappers had forced him to take illegal drugs. Police said that they were investigating that aspect of the case also and that so far they had not been able to find any link between the kidnappers and their victim.

The identities of three of the kidnappers were released by the Police. They are Ahmed Nadeem, 27, of G. Kufuriyaa; Aiman, 20, of Hudhuveli in Raa atoll Rasgatheemu; Ibrahim Haleel, 28, of H. Mehelige. The identity of the 16-year-old arrested in connection to the kidnapping was withheld by the Police.

Source: Haveeru