KULAI: Nine men were arrested in three states in connection to the kidnapping of a 30-year-old businesswoman here.
Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said the incident was reported at 3.13pm on May 16, when the victim was abducted at her home by three machete-wielding men.
“The kidnappers had asked for a ransom of RM111,000. The victim’s family paid the amount, and she was released unharmed at a bus stand in Skudai on the same day,” he said in a statement on Thursday (June 6).
He added that a team from the state police headquarters and Bukit Aman arrested the nine suspects from May 23 to May 25 in several locations in Johor, Negri Sembilan, and Selangor.
During the arrests, police also found a sum of money believed to be linked to the ransom, said Comm Kumar.
All the suspects, aged 24 to 48, had previous criminal and drug records. A urine test showed six of them were positive for methamphetamine.
The suspects were investigated for kidnapping under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1960.
The case was also investigated under Section 383 of the Penal Code for extortion and Section 424, which relates to an individual dishonestly or fraudulently assisting in the release of any demand or claim.
Comm Kumar added that the investigation paper for the case had been submitted to the Deputy Public Prosecutor’s office on Wednesday (June 5).
He said the arrests were based on public information and urged those with further information to contact the Johor police hotline at 07-2212 999 or head to the nearest police station.