Emirati youth escapes from sealed cave to tell his story

Ras Al Khaimah: Three men locked an Emirati youth in a cave after tying him up with a rope in a remote mountain area, Gulf News has learnt.

They blocked the entrance of the cave with a huge boulder as they were afraid that he might escape and report them to the authorities, neighbours of the youth told the paper.

The youth, in his early twenties, had gone to the mountainous remote area of Wadi Shaam to herd the livestock of his family back to the barn.

It is learnt that the youth saw three men, he presumed were Asians infiltrators lost in the mountains. The men suddenly attacked the youth, tied his hands and legs, shut his mouth with a piece of cloth and forced him into a nearby cave after blocking the entrance, the neighbours said.

The family of the missing Emirati got worried when their son did not return. They started searching for him, calling his friends and relatives but nobody reported seeing him, his neighbours said.

The family reported their missing son's case to the police and other security authorities.

Relatives continued their search for the absent youth scanning the surrounding mountainous areas with the help of the authorities. The youth was absent for several hours. The youth meanwhile, managed to reach the boulder at the cave's entrance, moved it and crawled to reach his neighbourhood, it was learnt.

A group of tribesmen found him and untied him, giving him the necessary first aid where he told them about his story, said neighbours.

Relatives and friends reported the case to the law enforcement authorities which initiated a major search for the three men who put the life of the Emirati on the line.

The authorities have also taken the youth to identify the assailants from a group of infiltrators who have already earlier been arrested.