Police free two hostages

DENPASAR, Bali: Denpasar Police detectives freed a 51-year-old man and his 4-year-old son, who were held hostage for several hours, a police officer said on Tuesday.

The officer, who asked for anonymity, said several police detectives stormed on Monday night a house at Gang Ubung Sari on Jl. Cokroaminoto, where Ketut Darmana, Made Gunawan and Supriyatna had been holding Suyatno and his son Rizki since the afternoon.

"Suyatno, who had a broken nose and bruises on his face and body, and his son Rizki were found locked in one room of the house. Rizki was not physically harmed," the officer said.

Denpasar Police chief of detectives Adj. Comr. Cahyo Budi Siswanto confirmed the release of the hostages on Tuesday, saying that Suyatno, his wife Nurhaeni and Rizki were kidnapped on Monday afternoon from their residence on Jl. Blambangan in Tabanan, some 14 kilometers west of here.

They were taken to Denpasar in a jeep, with Suyatnbo and Nurhaeni being physically assaulted by the kidnappers during the trip.

According to Cahyo, a business dispute was behind the abductions.

"On March 4, Nurhaeni bought some cloth from Darmana for about Rp 6 million. She made a down payment of Rp 500,000 but she failed to pay the rest of the money on time. Darmana, who several times attempted and failed to get the money from Nurhaeni, then decided to teach the woman a lesson," said Cahyo.

The kidnappers, however, released her in Denpasar after she promised to secure the money and pay Darmana.

She immediately went to the police after being released and notified them of the kidnapping. (zen)