ALKHOBAR, 4 June 2007 — Al-Thuqba police arrested a Bangladeshi resident, who was suspected of kidnapping a fellow Bangladeshi and holding him for a SR15,000 ransom that he and his accomplices hoped to get from the victim’s brother.
The brother informed the police about the kidnapping last week when he was contacted by the abductors. The brother stated that the kidnappers had threatened to kill his brother if he failed to ransom him out, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
Police set up a sting on Wednesday morning to arrest the kidnappers. The brother called the kidnappers and told them to come and take the money. One of the kidnappers came to collect the money, but he was immediately arrested. He told the police about the location of the kidnap victim.
The man was rescued without incident but two of the suspects managed to escape. Police spokesman Col. Yousuf Al-Qahtani told Al-Watan that a search is ongoing to capture the fugitives.
Rapists Arrested
Jeddah police arrested four citizens who had kidnapped and raped an Indonesian woman last week. The police stated that the suspects were roaming Al-Rehab district in an old pickup van when they located the Indonesian woman walking alone in the street.
The suspects forced her into the vehicle and took her to Muraikh valley to the east of Jeddah where they raped her. She was later dropped in front of King Abdul Aziz University’s dormitory in Ubrug Al-Rughama.
The gatekeeper of the dorm who grew suspicious reported the incident to the police, who came and took the victim for investigation.
Police arrested the suspects from the woman’s description of the vehicle and the license plate number that was noted down by the dormitory’s gatekeeper.
The case has now been handed over to the general investigation and prosecution department.
Missing Boy Found
In Taif, meanwhile, a 15-year-old Pakistani boy was found by authorities in the apartment of a South Asian man who was arrested for harboring a runaway worker. He may also be charged with having sexual relations with the boy, the daily Al-Jazirah reported yesterday.
After receiving an urgent plea from the family of the missing boy, secret police began investigating in the Al-Bukhariya neighborhood of Taif.
Authorities entered a building that housed bachelor renters and raided an apartment there after witnessing the boy entering the building on his own. The boy answered the door when police arrived.
Authorities are charging the man with luring the boy to live with him.
Police have not ruled out the possibility that the man was having sexual relations with the boy. The man is also accused of illegally copying movies to sell. Approximately 2,000 illegal copies of DVDs were found in the apartment.
The owner of the building will be fined for violating a local regulation on renting his residential building to singles in a family neighborhood.
