Kidnapped man found bound in trunk

An Oakland man who was kidnapped for ransom on Thursday night was found safe in a nearby city Friday morning locked in the trunk of a car when officers arrested two suspects in the incident, police said.

The victim, a single male adult, had his hands and feet bound by the suspects but only suffered minor injuries and is now at home with family members, according to Officer Frank Bonifacio.

Lt. Nishant Joshi said the victim told police he didn’t know why he was kidnapped but authorities believe he was targeted. He said police are trying to determine if there was any prior relationship between the victim and the two suspects.

Joshi said the man was kidnapped for at least 10 hours but police were able to use technology to track the suspects to a neighboring city at about 8 a.m. Friday. When officers tried to stop the suspects’ car they sped off and led police on a chase, he said. However, the suspects’ crashed into another car and police were able to arrest them, according to Joshi.

Officers heard sounds coming from the trunk of the suspects’ car and when they opened the trunk they found the victim, who was bound, he said.

Joshi and Bonifacio declined to release further details about the incident, such as the amount of money the alleged kidnappers were seeking, saying it’s still under investigation and they’re looking into the possibility that additional suspects were involved.

Joshi said the victim’s family members alerted police last night because the victim wasn’t at a place where they had expected him to be.

He said the investigation will look into the possibility that the suspects have committed other kidnappings. Police aren’t releasing the suspects’ names at this time.

Bay City News

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