Man kidnapped last week may be a mistaken ID case; €15,000 reward offered for info

A 56-year-old man from Hoofddorp who was kidnapped on Thursday evening in Cruquius, Noord-Holland, may not be the kidnappers’ intended target. The police said on Sunday that they are taking into account the possibility that the perpetrators made a mistake when they abducted the individual.

Six people have been arrested in the case, but the victim has not yet been found. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) is offering a reward of 15,000 euros to anyone who comes forward with the tip that can resolve the case. The large-scale investigations unit (TGO) is handling the criminal case for the police.

"The TGO's investigation has so far shown that there is no indication that the kidnapped man is part of the criminal underworld. The motive for the kidnapping is therefore not clear at the moment,” the police said in a statement announcing the tip reward.

The investigation into the kidnapping on the Spaarneweg in Curquis is still ongoing. Six men were arrested on the Vogelplein in Gouda in connection with the case. They are still in custody.

Three of those arrested are from Rotterdam, aged 22, 22 and 30. The others are a 31-year-old from Zwijndrecht, a 33-year-old from Dordrecht and a 30-year-old without a known home address. Police suspect others are also involved.

Police received multiple reports of the kidnapping around 6 p.m. Thursday. The victim was reportedly pulled into a red Mercedes van with a roof rack, which was then driven towards the N201.

The police are asking people who have camera images from Thursday evening in the area of Cruquius and Gouda to share the footage with them.