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A sign hanging in front of a Dutch police post
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M.M.Minderhoud via Michiel1972 /
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Monday, 12 October 2015 - 11:16
Man held hostage for hours in Limburg
A man was held hostage for several hours in Roermond on Sunday after being forced into a car on Stationsplein around 4:30 p.m. The police have arrested three suspects on suspicion of deprivation of freedom.
According to the police, the victim - a 22 year old man from Roermond - may have been involved in criminal activities and they are taking that into account in the investigation.
The police launched an investigation on Sunday afternoon after a report of a man being forced into a car. At the time, the investigation did not yield any further information.
Later in the evening the victim tried to escape his kidnappers at a filling station on Donderbergweg in Roermond. He failed and was assaulted by two men. A bystander tried to intervene and the victim managed to get into the bystander's car, who drove him to the police station.
Based on information from the bystander and the victim, the police were able to track the car and found it heading south over the A2. Around 9:15 p.m. the police managed to run the car off the road at the Born exit and arrested three people. The suspects are three men from Sittard-Geleen aged 21, 23 and 27 years old.
The motive for the kidnapping and what exactly happened remains unclear, according to the police. A tactical and technical investigation is currently underway. The police expect to release more information during the course of Monday.