Indian abducted in Oman freed

An Indian national who was abducted in Oman last week was rescued by police Monday. Three people have been arrested in this connection.

Mohammed Haneefa, an expatriate from the south Indian state of Kerala, was abducted from Sohar, 200 km north of Oman's capital Muscat, by a gang of masked men last week.

A Royal Oman Police (ROP) special team freed the abducted man in an early morning raid Monday, the Times Of Oman reported.

"At around 3 a.m. Monday, one of the patrolling vehicles of the special team formed by the police to rescue Haneefa found him and his abductors in a farm," the report quoted Yousuf Salim, a social worker, as saying.

"Police sprang into action and freed Haneefa from the clutches of the abductors," he added.

The Urdu-speaking gang reportedly made a number of calls to Haneefa's family in Kerala after abducting him, demanding ransom money.

The gang reportedly kept demanding Pakistani rupees 500,000 as ransom for freeing Haneefa and set a 48-hour deadline ending Sunday.

"If we failed to raise the money, they claimed that they will kill Haneefa," a family member said.

The ransom calls were made from internet phones.

The family had reportedly transferred Pakistani rupees 50,000 to a bank account number, given by the gang, through Western Union from Saudi Arabia.