AN expatriate was kidnapped by a gang in Lae and held for 12 hours before he escaped on Tuesday.
Police said the Filipino national was abducted from his home near Eriku by armed men between 6pm and 7pm on Monday and taken to the Gobadic village in Nawaeb.
It was not known how he escaped from the gang but police said he was discovered by some villagers.
Lae police operations chief Fred Kaiwa told The National yesterday that the man was returning home after work when he was held up by the gang outside his premises.
“They drove him in his own vehicle to Gobadic,” Kaiwa said.
“He was lucky to escape and was assisted by some locals. He received no serious injuries but was traumatised.”
Kaiwa said police later went to the area and retrieved the vehicle.
He said the suspects had already fled when police arrived.
The abduction followed four armed robberies and two murders in Lae in less than a month.
Meanwhile, the Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry had circulated an email to its members warning them about the rise in crime and the need to take safety precaution.
Chamber president Alan McLay said: “Acts of crime and reported incidents have increased over the past few weeks.
“I have spoken to police about the recent upsurge in crime and they have stated that they are trying to address the problem as best as they can.