Businessman rescued - Abductor killed by police

A 30-year-old businessman of Chinese descent was yesterday rescued in a dramatic police operation in St Catherine and his kidnapper killed, a day after his abduction in the parish of Clarendon.

An illegal firearm with several rounds of ammunition was recovered during the early afternoon rescue operation at 52 King Street in the volatile inner-city community of Rivoli in the old capital of Spanish Town, St Catherine.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Elan Powell told the Observer that the businessman was unharmed.

At the same time, Powell, who heads the Criminal Investigation Branch, refused to divulge any information about the rescue operation or the circumstances under which the businessman was kidnapped.

"Police are still gathering information in this case, but what we can say at this time is that the victim was found unharmed. No ransom was paid for his return," said Powell.

Last night, police sources said that a request for over $500,000 was made for the businessman's safe return.

Thursday's kidnapping comes just more than a week after a Kingston businessman was kidnapped from the upper St Andrew community of Norbrook. His vehicle was rammed from behind by his abductors.

The Kingston businessman was rescued by the police hours later in Passagefort, Portmore, St Catherine community. Fifteen people have since been detained.

Following the rescue of the Kingston businessman, the police said that the abductors belonged to a kidnapping gang operating between Kingston and Portmore.

But yesterday, the police said there was no initial evidence to indicate that the two incidents were related.

Investigators suspect that Thursday's kidnapping was carried out by a gang in Clarendon.

Hours after the rescue, Powell said that the police would be intensifying efforts to arrest criminals who were looking to get involved in this sort of crime.

"We are not going to sit back and allow criminals to make this crime into a trend," said Powell. "We are therefore issuing a strong warning to criminals out there that the police will be on the look out for them.