Cape Verde: Child abductors jailed

Praia, Cape Verde (PANA) - A tribunal in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, has sentenced three persons to six-year jail terms each after they were found guilty of abducting a 13-year-old child and demanding a ransom of about 3 million escudo (US$36,500), PANA learnt from judicial sources.

A fourth person involved in the kidnapping that took place on 16 Jan. 2014 in the locality of Monte Vermelho was acquitted for lack of evidence.

The tribunal established that the accused - Wilson Cabral, Rony Lopes and José David de Pina - had abducted the victim in front of his home in Monte Vermelho and took him in a taxi to a house in Cidadela.

They then called the child's father, a rich businessman, and asked for the ransom in exchange for the child's freedom.

Judicial police sources said the plan of the abductors failed when the father informed the police, who were able to locate the place where the child was being kept in captivity and then rescue him safely.
-0- PANA CS/IZ/CJB/IS/SOC/NA/SEG 31July2014