Banker's son arrested for abduction

JAKARTA: Andre Paul Neloe, son of Bank Mandiri president director ECW Neloe, was arrested by police on Tuesday night for allegedly kidnapping two teenage sisters and keeping them for five days over a Rp 25 million loan dispute.

Police from Setia Budi precinct arrested Andre, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta, where he had kept Tasya Nurmedina, 17, and Zaskia Adia Mecca, 15.

The precinct chief, Comr. Kusdiantoro, said that Andre could be charged with abduction and may face a maximum 12-year prison term if found guilty.

He said that Andre kidnapped the two sisters because their mother, Rofida, owed him Rp 25 million and had failed to repay the debt in due time.

Tasya told the police that Zaskia received an offer from a man, who said his name was Ivan, to become a presenter at TransTV and was told to meet him at the Hilton Hotel on Friday at 1:30 p.m. It turned out, however, that the offer was false.

Andre later arrived and at 1 a.m. on Saturday, the sisters were taken to Santika Hotel, and then to the JW Marriott Hotel.

Andre's lawyer, Chris Butar-Butar, denied that his client had kidnapped the girls, as he treated them nicely and allowed several of their friends to accompany them in the hotel room, detik.com reported.

Butar-Butar showed reporters a letter signed by Rofida's lawyer Abu Bakar J. Lamatapo saying that Rofida agreed to "entrust" her family to the creditor, PT Globalindo Nusantara Mandiri, prior to the settlement of the Rp 25 million debt.

Andre is believed to be one of the shareholders of PT Globalindo.--JP