Police free two hostages

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)