FBI agents and police say a Huntington Beach man held for two weeks in a ransom kidnapping, was freed over the weekend and five people were arrested.
Authorities say they found Sohiel Daliri, a business owner also known as Bernard Daliri, in a Long Beach motel room on Saturday. He had been tied to a bed, blindfolded and gagged with duct tape. The kidnap victim was taken to a hospital to be treated for dehydration, but authorities say he suffered no other injuries.
Investigators said the kidnappers knew Daliri, and were seeking ransom in a range up to 30-thousand dollars. He was found when investigators followed two suspects after a meeting with the victim´s girlfriend to discuss a ransom pickup.
Five Orange County men were jailed in lieu of $250,000 bond each. In addition a juvenile was arrested for alleged auto theft and hit-and-run driving using the victim´s car.
Huntington Beach Police Lieutenant William Stuart said of finding the kidnap victim bound, blindfolded and gagged: “We had some police officers with 20 or more years of experience and these guys were stunned because they said it was like something that you see on TV.”
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:29 pm