Ibrahim Alawi Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Six men were arrested recently in connection with the kidnap of a wealthy gold merchant, who also had SR6.5 million stolen from his bank account by his abductors. The suspects, arrested by Jeddah police after an investigation spanning several months, were of different nationalities. It is not clear when the crime happened or when the men were arrested. The kidnapping happened in Jeddah's Al-Faisaliyah district after the gold merchant returned home from a trip abroad, police said. He was surprised by several men who claimed they were policemen. They alleged that he had committed a number of crimes and forced him to accompany them. They ordered him to climb into a car. The moment he entered the vehicle they blindfolded him. He was kept in a room, which they said was a solitary confinement prison cell. During his confinement they took away his identification papers including his national identity card as well as his cell phone. He was isolated from the outside world as they took everything that would enable him to contact others. After one hour, one of them started questioning him regarding his financial commitments. After midnight he was released and told he would be summoned again for further investigations. The gold merchant returned to his home. After several days passed he decided to visit a police station to inquire about what happened to his case. He was then convinced that he had become the victim of a crime. Meanwhile, police formed a committee to investigate the kidnap case. The merchant went to his bank and found SR6.5 million had been withdrawn through checks signed and written in his name. He denied issuing these checks, but the bank played the recorded conversations where he had allegedly approved the withdrawals. He then realized that these telephone calls took place during the period he was detained. This discovery led the gold merchant to return to Al-Shimaliah police station to report the missing money from his account. The police said the abduction was carried out by a gang whose members impersonated policemen. The case file was referred to the criminal investigations department, which worked with the investigation team at the police station to track those responsible. Investigations showed that the thieves carried out their plan after cutting off contact between the bank and the merchant. They then wrote out a number of checks in the victim's name. One of the checks was cashed in Makkah and the rest in Jeddah. The police intensified their investigations and collected information on their suspects, which included a man with previous convictions for forgery. The suspects included a Sudanese, a Syrian, two Saudis and two Yemenis. The police are still looking for the gang leader who planned the theft.
