Police arrest four alleged kidnappers in Chiayi City

Police yesterday arrested four suspected kidnappers and rescued a teenage boy who had been held captive for 21 days.

The victim surnamed Wang, 16, is a junior high school student in Yunlin County. He was kidnapped as he rode his bicycle to school on Aug. 6.

Yunlin police said Wang's condition was good as police brought him to a hospital for treatment. He told police the kidnappers did not hurt him and offered him food during his captivity.

Police said the Wang's family received a telephone call from the suspects on Aug. 10, asking for a NT$2 million (US$60,000) ransom in return for freeing their son.

Police asked the Wang family to negotiate with the kidnappers over the ransom and make as many phone calls as possible, which would help them to identify the whereabouts of the suspects and the victim.

Police said after several phone conversations, the kidnappers agreed to lower the ransom to NT$700,000 and they arranged to drop the ransom money on a highway yesterday morning.

By then police had already managed to trace the whereabouts of the kidnappers to the 12th floor of a building in Chiayi City. The police then decided to raid it early yesterday morning.

The main suspect, Yan Chih-lin (顏志麟), and two other suspects were ambushed at the main entrance of the building at at 2pm as they went out to buy supplies.

Police hid behind one of the suspects and asked him to return to the room.

The fourth suspect was detained in the room after he opened the door for his accomplice.

Police said that the victim was found lying on a sofa. His eyes were covered with tape and his legs and hands were tied together.

Police told the victim he was safe and to relax and then took him out.

Police said that the victim had been carried into the room concealed in a large cardboard box. During his captivity the victim was taken out of the room several times in the box.