THE kidnappers involved in the kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl at Uptown Avenue, Seremban 2, Negeri Sembilan last Thursday had stuffed the victim into a suitcase to move her.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said they did this to avoid detection when transferring the victim from the suspect's vehicle to a house where she was hidden.
According to him, the investigation also found that the kidnapping was masterminded by a 31-year-old female suspect who was arrested along with five others yesterday.
He said all the suspects, consisting of three men and three women aged 20 to 31, were arrested in Negeri Sembilan, while police are looking for another male suspect.
"In the incident on April 10, the victim and her mother went to a salon, and the teenager stepped out of the salon to go to a nearby convenience store.
"While heading to the convenience store, the victim was kidnapped by a man who forced her into a vehicle before speeding away," he told a press conference today.
He said that at the time of the abduction, the victim's mother was still inside the salon making a payment.
"The victim's mother informed her father (the victim's grandfather) before the man made a police report.
"Not long after, the victim's mother received a call from the suspect demanding a ransom of RM2 million to ensure her child's safety," he said.
Following the police report, the Negeri Sembilan JSJ team set up an operations room.
"I also deployed two teams from D8 and D9 Bukit Aman to assist in the investigation," he said.
He added that the victim was released a day after the kidnapping as the family paid a ransom of RM280,000 along with several gold chains.
"The suspects were divided into two groups; one group took the ransom money and the other released the victim as soon as the ransom was paid.
"Investigations found that this group also used metal detectors to ensure that the ransom bag does not contain any tracking devices.
He said police are currently checking if this group is involved in other kidnapping cases.
"The mastermind behind the kidnapping is a 31-year-old woman.
"We believe the suspects are related to each other ... further investigation is still ongoing," he said.
He added that following the arrest of the six suspects, the police managed to recover RM180,000 in cash and several pieces of jewellery.
"The six suspects have been remanded for 14 days for further investigations, and initial questioning revealed that RM100,000 had already been spent by the suspects," he said.
Asked whether the victim came from a wealthy family, Mohd Shuhaily said the victim's parents were car workshop and cake shop operators, while her grandfather was a furniture factory owner.
When asked about a suspect who was shot dead in Klang yesterday, Mohd Shuhaily said the police believed the suspect was trying to distance himself from other group members after receiving the ransom money.
"I believe in crimes that are carried out in an organized manner like this case, it is common for those involved to distance themselves from each other," he said.
He added that the police also seized several mobile phones and a pistol from the suspect who was shot dead in Klang, and found that several vehicles used had fake registration numbers.
He said further investigations are being conducted under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961. – April 15, 2025
