Vietnamese students arrested in kidnapping

The youths were arrested in the capital Hanoi after police said they were caught receiving a ransom of 12 million dong (750 dollars) on Monday from the relatives of the kidnapped man. 

Police said the youths, ages between 17 and 26, kidnapped an apprentice hairdresser from a barber shop on Sunday.

The young people had a financial dispute with the man's boss and apparently originally targeted him, but took his apprentice when they found the boss was not at the shop.

The youths threatened the apprentice with knives and took him to a hotel, where they held him overnight and forced him to contact his family demanding ransom, police said. The relatives notified police, who picked up the gang members during the ransom drop.

"We have arrested them on charges of illegally detaining a man and extorting money," said Vo Hong Phuong, head of the task force of Hanoi Police Department.

"We have temporarily released them because they are students but will continue the investigation," Phuong said.

According to Vietnamese law, kidnapping and extortion carries prison terms of up to 12 years.//(Deutsche Presse-Agentur/DPA)