Five, persons, all of them residents of Shipyard Village in the Orange Walk District, a Mennonite community, along with an 18-year-old from August Pine Ridge Village are presently detained at the Orange Walk Police Station where they are being questioned in relation to an alleged kidnapping.
On Monday, July 5, around 4:45 p.m police say that they were alerted of a kidnapping that had occurred at Central Meat Distributors, located at Camp 18 in Shipyard Village. Officers say that when they proceeded to the village they came across a white F-150 pickup truck driving in the area and ordered it to stop. The vehicle which contained six occupants was searched, however, nothing incriminating was found.
Police then went on to say that while searching the vehicle a passerby directed them to the residence of the individual that had allegedly been kidnapped. Police say they when they arrived at the residence they found Abram Andres, 20, a butcher of Camp 40, who reported to them that around 2:30 p.m. he was working at Central Meat Distributors when a white Ford-150 pickup truck drove into the compound and five male Mennonite stormed into the building and started to beat him.
According to Andres the men then dragged him out of the meat shop, threw him into the vehicle, and then drove him out to a residence where he was punched, kicked, and flogged repeatedly with an electrical wire. After several hours of torture, Andres claimed that he was then driven to his home where he was thrown out of the vehicle, which then drove off.
The victim was taken to the Northern Regional Hospital where he was admitted for several injuries, including a fracture to his face.
Police have since impounded the vehicle and are questioning the six suspects.