13 held over abduction of two teenage boys

JOHOR BAHRU: The police have arrested 13 men suspected to have been involved in the abduction of two teenage boys in Skudai, Johor Bahru, and Paloh, Kluang, recently.

Johor CID chief SAC Kamaluddin Kassim said the suspects, aged between 19 and 39, were held in four locations.

Two of them were caught at a house in Pagoh, Muar, at about 11.30 pm last Sunday while the other 11 were picked up at a house in Yong Peng, Batu Pahat, a budget hotel in Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Johor Bahru, and in Singapore between 11.30 am and 1 pm yesterday, he said.

The arrests followed two reports the police received, on July 18 and Aug 19, on the abduction of two 18-year-old boys in Skudai and Paloh and the demand for a RM120,000 ransom.

“An investigation and the information gathered led police to believe that the two abductions were the work of the same group of criminals. So, an operation was launched and the second victim was rescued from a house in Pagoh where he had been confined,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He also said that parts of a human skeleton were found at a rubbish dump in the area but the remains had yet to be identified.

Kamaluddin said the police were awaiting the result of a DNA test from the hospital.

He also said that the police would find out whether the ransom had been paid.

All the suspects are being held on remand for 12 days up to Sept 1 to facilitate the investigation under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961. - Bernama