SHAH ALAM: Police have detained four men including the mastermind in the kidnap of a five-year-old boy in Sungai Chua, Kajang yesterday.
The suspects, aged between 28 to 45 years, including an Indonesian and a taxi driver who sent the boy home, were detained separately Friday night.
Selangor Police chief Datuk Abdul Samah Mat said, the father of the victim received a telephone call at 10.50am demanding a ransom of RM300,000, in a follow-up to the kidnap at 9.26am on Friday.
He said the latter delivered the ransom and placed by the roadside near a major supermarket in Saujana Impian, Kajang as instructed by the suspects.
Subsequently, the boy was freed at 5.40pm and a taxi driver drove him to his family in Taman Suria, Sungai Chua, he said.
“Following the case, police set up a special team to investigate the incident, and two men were detained as a result of intelligence work, in front of a mini market in Jalan Sungai Chua, in the first arrest at 10.10pm Friday night.
“The 28-year-old man and an Indonesian national, 32, were detained in a Proton Saga. Inspection found the car to be the same one which was used during the kidnap,” he told reporters here, yesterday.
He said RM30,000 in cash was found under the car seat and a pair of false identification plates, which were believed used during the kidnapping, was also found in the car.
Afterwards at 12.15am, yesterday he said police detained a local man, aged 45 years, who was believed to be the mastermind of the kidnapping, in his house in Kajang Raya, Sungai Chua.
He said an inspection found RM1,050 in cash in his wallet and RM60,500 under his motorcycle seat outside the house.
“Police also seized a purple bag which was believed to have been used by the father of the victim for the ramsom money,” he said.
In a follow up to the arrest of the three suspects, Abdul Samah said the taxi driver who sent the child home was also arrested and his taxi seized at 12.15am yesteday to help in investigation.
Abdul Samah said the boy was kidnapped by three men when he was being sent by his mother to a kindergarten in Sungai Chua, Kajang, in the incident at 9.26am on Friday.
“The suspect was believed to have stopped his car in front of the car of the victim’s mother on the pretext of asking a question while another suspect grabbed the boy and pulled him into their car before speeding off,” he said.
He said the mastermind in the case lived two to three kilometres from the house of the victim’s family and was believed to be acquainted with the boy’s father via business.
He also said the motive for the kidnapping was still being investigated but did not rule out the possibility that the first suspect, who conducted a printing business could be having financial problems.
To date, Abdul Samah said, police had recovered RM291,550 of the ransom and was still investigating to determine where the rest had gone to.
He said police was also investigating to determine if the rest of the suspects were hired by the mastermind.
He said the child was in a healthy condition despite bruises on the hand and body and the case was being investigated under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961 which carries the death penalty.
On Friday, the media reported that a five-year-old boy was found eight hours after he was believed to have been kidnapped by two men in Taman Setia, Sungai Chua, Kajang, Friday morning.The child was found safe and sound and was sent home by a taxi driver. — Bernama