The driver of bus 131 finishes his route on Boulevard de Verdun in the town of Villejuif (Val-de-Marne). It is 10:25 p.m. when he sees a frightened man appear and take refuge in his vehicle to call for help and phone the police. Nearly an hour and a half earlier, this merchant, who owns a barber shop and a restaurant, was abducted from his home on Rue des Poissonniers in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The alert had already been sounded by his cousin.
In front of the police, he recounts that he was outside his home when a man approached him. He had a police armband. He explains that he must take him to the police station in Versailles in the Yvelines. Believing he was dealing with police officers, the merchant obeyed and got into the back of a small white car where a driver and a passenger were already seated. But the vehicle did not head in the direction of the Yvelines and a short time later, he found himself in a warehouse.
There, the three men confirmed his suspicions: they were not police officers. They confiscated the keys to his businesses and demanded money from him. The victim was then forcefully put into a white utility van. His captors put a hood over his head and tied his hands and feet with plastic tie wraps. It was at this point that he noticed the ties were loose. He managed to free himself and escaped from the van when it stopped in Villejuif. A few minutes later, he found the RATP bus and took refuge on board. He quickly indicated that his captors had said they were going to his house. These men have not yet been apprehended.
The investigation has been entrusted to the 2nd district of the judicial police (2e DPJ).
