Syrian accused of kidnapping brother to demand ransom

Cairo: Syrian police said they arrested a citizen involved in kidnapping his brother to demand a ransom in the north part of the war-torn country.

The suspect, a native of Aleppo city, had allegedly planned with others to kidnap his brother with the intention of extracting the ransom, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry in the war-torn country.

The victim reported to authorities that three anonymous persons posing as security personnel had kidnapped and placed him in a pick-up vehicle, taken him to an unknown destination and released him later after his brother paid them a ransom of 27 million Syrian pounds, the ministry said.

Police investigations showed that the victim’s brother was involved in his kidnapping. The suspect admitted after his arrest along with another that he had planned his brother’s kidnapping to demand the ransom in collaboration with three others, who are still on the run.

Syria has been devastated by a civil war raging since 2011.