RIYADH: Egyptian police were able to rescue two Saudis from kidnappers in the governorate of Bani Sweif, about 120 km from Cairo, who had been lured to the country with the promise of being able to buy ancient gold relics.

According to a report in an Arabic publication, the two Saudis, both aged 60, had received an SMS message from an unidentified individual who had said that these valuables were for sale in Bani Sweif.

The two Saudis then traveled to Egypt accompanied by a friend, also aged 60, who had previously worked in the tourism industry. They then met up with the sellers in Bani Sweif.

According to Osama Zaki Abdulaziz, a lawyer at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo, the Saudis met the sellers in a hotel.

They were accompanied by a man named Ibrahim, who was supposed to test whether the statues were real.

It was at this stage that the men were kidnapped. The kidnappers then contacted the families of the men and demanded 600,000 Egyptian pounds (SR287,446). The police was then contacted, who helped to rescue the men, the report stated.