Sunday, May 22, 2016
Manama: A Saudi businessman who was kidnapped in Egypt last month said that he had to pay five million Egyptian pounds (Dh2.07 million) to regain his freedom.
Hassan Al Sanad was abducted by a masked gang on April 26 on the highway linking the city of Esmailiya with the capital Cairo and was released on May 5.
“I think the gang was made up of six members who threatened me with weapons and machine guns,” he said. “They fired at the car, then bundled me and the driver in a blanket and hit us on our heads and feet before whisking us away to a location that was about 45 minutes from where we were kidnapped,” he said, quoted by Saudi daily Okaz on Saturday.
Al Sanad added they locked them inside a cage and blindfolded them.
“The kidnappers came to see us only at night when it is very dark. One of them handed me a mobile phone so that I could speak with the gang leader who never showed up. He insisted on me paying five million Egyptian pounds as ransom. They eventually got the money after three days and then left us in the desert. They kept the mobile with us, and asked us not to open our eyes for the next two hours,” Al Sanad said.
However, he opened his eyes only after ten minutes and discovered he was in a desolate place in the desert.
“I called the police and after two attempts, I got through. But when they asked me where I was, I could not answer and I had to walk for around one hour until I reached a public road. There, I stopped a car and asked the driver. I conveyed the name to the police who said they would reach me within 20 minutes. However, after one hour, they did not show up and I called a friend who reached me before they did and he took me to a hospital, I am diabetic and needed treatment. Throughout the ordeal, I was given only water and biscuit, just to keep me alive,” he added.
On Friday, the Egyptian authorities reportedly caught the members of the gang.
By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief
Gulf News 2016. All rights reserved.
