LIMA (Reuters)
A Japanese businessman who escaped from
assailants who abducted and robbed him came face to face with
his captors -- two policemen he bumped into when reporting the
crime at a local station, officials said Thursday.
At a public ceremony, the police force expelled the officers who
forced Masahito Ake, 40, into their patrol car in the wealthy
business area of San Isidro and forced him to withdraw money
from automatic cash dispensers.
The two officers, Primitivo Mejia and Juan Mori, have been
charged with robbery and
kidnapping, police said.
Ake was in Lima as part of a delegation accompanying Princess
Sayako Nori to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japanese
immigration to Peru. The Andean nation has the largest Japanese
immigrant community in the region outside Brazil.
Peru has seen a spurt of kidnappings in wealthy districts over
recent years. Off-duty, poorly paid policemen are often
suspected of carrying out assaults in the capital, where most
offices have their own private armed guards.
During the princess' visit, President Alberto Fujimori, the son
of Japanese immigrants, deployed 15,000 police to protect the
top level delegation in Peru during its five-day visit.
In 1997, leftist rebels held 72 people hostage at the Japanese
ambassador's residence in Lima. The siege ended when Fujimori
ordered commandos to storm the diplomatic residence, resulting
in the deaths of all the 14 Tupac Amaru rebels and one Peruvian
hostage.
I smell like a hippy in this outfit......
