Caucasian businessman Carlos Fernando, who had been kidnapped on November 1 in Miranda, Cauca, regained his freedom after 25 days in the power of the Dagoberto Ramos front, a structure belonging to the FARC dissidents.
His release occurred on the night of last Tuesday, November 25, in the rural area of Caloto, after his health deteriorated worryingly.
According to Brigadier General Henry Yesid Bello, commander of the Cali Metropolitan Police, those responsible for the kidnapping demanded more than $4,000 million to release the merchant, a fact that aggravated his family’s anguish for almost a month.
Finally, and given his poor health, the captors handed him over at night to avoid a tragedy.
The businessman, still kidnapped hours before, was immediately transferred to a medical center in Cali, where he remains under observation. Authorities indicated that, from the first moment of the kidnapping, the Gaula protocols were activated to clarify the whereabouts of the merchant and establish the participation of the criminal structure.
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The Miranda mayor’s office confirmed the information through a statement, thanking the community for its support during the weeks of uncertainty. Meanwhile, the municipality’s Government Secretary, Isabel Cristina, the businessman’s wife, published an emotional message on social networks in which she thanked God and those who prayed for the return of Caicedo Duque.
The mayor of Miranda, Walter Zúñiga, celebrated the return to freedom of the merchant and reiterated concern about the escalation of kidnapping and extortion actions in the north of Cauca, where this armed structure maintains permanent pressure on the population.
Investigations continue to clarify what led to the merchant’s release and who directly participated in his retention.
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