Police nab kidnappers of politician's son

Evi Mariani, Jakarta

Jakarta Police announced on Friday they had arrested five people alleged to have kidnapped the a son of a Democratic Party legislator-elect and said the motive behind the abduction was not political.

The alleged mastermind of the kidnapping was identified as Husni, who was a relative of the legislator, Tri Yulianto, and lived at his house on Jl. Wijaya Kusuma in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, police said.

"Our investigation found the motive was purely criminal, not political," the city police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said. "The ringleader said he needed money for his mother-in-law, who is sick in Boyolali, Central Java."

Makbul said the suspects had demanded Rp 300 million (US$31,915) in ransom from Tri for the return of his son, Faisal Akbar.

Their demand Tri resign from the campaign team of presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was a ploy, meant to put the police off the scent, he said.

Husni hired four people -- Gaby Manoppo, Lia, M. Wildan and Tono -- to execute his plan. From the four suspects, the police seized scrap paper with an abduction scenario written by Husni and a picture of 15-year-old Faisal.

Police arrested the four accomplices on Thursday morning in different places including Jatinegara, East Jakarta and in Kwitang, Central Jakarta. Based on their information, police later summoned Husni for questioning and detained him later that day.

The police did not reveal how much money Husni had promised to the four suspects for their services.

Faisal was telephoned by Gaby on Tuesday at 1 p.m. She claimed to be working for Tri and said he planned to give his son a motorcycle. She told Faisal he could choose his favorite model at a motorcycle showroom near the Arion Plaza on Jl. Pemuda, East Jakarta.

The boy rushed to the showroom taking an ojek (motorcycle taxi) as his father had earlier promised him a motorcycle. When arriving at the showroom, the salesmen there said there was no arrangement with Tri.

Faisal then walked home when a blue Toyota Kijang minivan approached him and the suspects forced him into the car. Inside, the four suspects claimed they were Democratic Party members and gave a drink to Faisal that made him lose consciousness.

He was later taken to a guest house in Cisarua, Bogor. On Wednesday morning, three of the suspects guarded Faisal but later two left him alone with Tono, who then asked Faisal to play billiards at a billiard hall near the guest house. Later Tono also left, saying he needed to go to the restroom.

Faisal took the opportunity to escape and returned home safely.