The abduction and rescue of a teenage boy, and the arrest of 12 kidnappers.
A 17-year-old boy, the son of a businessman, was abducted from his home in Taiping at about 8pm on Sept 2.
Blindfolded and bound, he was taken to Butterworth, some 90km away.
Between Sept 3 and 5, through 10 phone calls, the kidnappers contacted the boy’s family and demanded RM3 million in ransom.
“The kidnappers threatened to kill the boy or injure him if their demands were not met.
“After negotiations, the kidnappers agreed to lower the amount to RM300,000,” Perak police chief Comm Datuk Hasnan Hassan said.
The boy’s father, a 43-year-old dealer in second-hand car parts and accessories, lodged a report at the Taiping police station the day he received the first call, following which a special task force headed by state Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Gan Tian Kee started tracking down the suspects.
“At about 8.30am on Sept 5, the father was told to head to Johor Baru to hand over the ransom money.
“Once they received the cash, the suspects were to release the victim in Penang,” Hasnan said.
The kidnappers warned the father not to alert the police.
However, the moment the father delivered the cash, police nabbed eight suspects at six locations in Johor Baru.
“At the same time, another police team found the victim in a car with two of his kidnappers in Penang at 10.30pm.
“The teenager, whose hands were tied and who was blindfolded, was not injured, but clearly traumatised by the incident.” Hasnan said.
Penang police detained two more people in Butterworth on Sept 6 in relation with the case, he added.
Among the suspects arrested were the mastermind and several who have previous criminal records.
“We picked up 12 people aged between 17 and 36, including three women in Penang and Johor, five of them have been released on police bail after questioning,” Hasnan said.
One of the women possessed an auxiliary police force pass from Singapore.
“We are waiting for the deputy public prosecutor’s decision on the next course of action on the remaining seven,” Hasnan added.
Police recovered RM175,400 of the ransom money from the suspects and are tracing the remaining amount.
Police seized the white MyVi, which had a false number plate, a Toyota Vios, a silver Myvi and a Yamaha LC motorcycle.
They also confiscated eight handphones and SIM cards, five sling bags, five sets of keys, two face masks, two lengths of rope, a watch and several items of clothing.
The case is being investigated under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961.
Hasnan said it was the first kidnapping case reported in Perak this year.