Former Man City striker Carlos Tevez was on his way to Argentina last night after his father was kidnapped.
Delivery driver Secundo Tevez was snatched early this morning on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Three men in a van are reported to have abducted him in a street in the suburb of Moron after blocking his way and taking him hostage in his Volkswagon.
Tevez, now with Italian side Juventus, was informed after another relative received a ransom demand.
He was freed last night after an eight-hour kidnap ordeal. Family lawyer Gustavo Galasso confirmed: ‘He’s okay’ after his kidnappers let him go.
The Tevez family is reported to have paid a ransom demand.
Family lawyer Gustavo Galazzo confirmed the kidnap to TV channel America 24.
Tevez, 30, is understood to have spoken with his father by phone as well as his dad’s kidnappers.
Argentine daily Clarin reported: ‘The kidnappers let Secundo speak briefly on the phone to his family as proof he was alive.’
It is not yet clear whether the kidnap was planned or the gang realised their victim was Tevez’s dad only after they had taken him. Reports suggest they only targeted him because he was in an expensive car.
An elite anti-kidnap police squad was drafted in to help resolve the crisis.
Express kidnapping, where abductees are taken for a short duration and for a low ransom, occurs occasionally in Argentina, according to the U.S. State Department.
Extortion kidnapping for ransom is relatively rare and has mostly affected well-off Argentines. The true rate of kidnapping is unknown but believed to be considerably lower than elsewhere in South America.
Nascan's Blog 