Ransom

Four officers from the police intelligence directorate were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a minor in Tegucigalpa on August 30; the child's family received a ransom demand for 600,000 lempiras (about $24,000) and was warned not to contact authorities.

A 50-year-old merchant was rescued alive in a mountainous area of Santa Rita, Copán, after being held for several days by kidnappers who demanded 2 million lempiras (about $80,000).

The National Anti-Kidnapping Unit rescued a man held for ransom in Linaca, Choluteca, after kidnappers posing as customers demanded 500,000 lempiras (about $20,000); police say the case is one of 17 virtual kidnappings this year, allegedly orchestrated by a transnational network of Colombians and Hondurans.

Police and anti-kidnapping units rescued a 5-year-old girl and her caregiver in Las Vegas, Santa Bárbara, after kidnappers demanded 7 million lempiras (about $280,000) and abandoned them when officers flooded the area.