The 22-year-old daughter of a successful businessman is home again after being kidnapped and held for ransom Friday night in Surrey.

Surrey RCMP Cpl. Roger Morrow said the abductors demanded “a large sum of money” from the woman’s family.
It was several hours before she was freed, Morrow said.
Two Surrey residents, 26-year-old Amandeep Randhawa and 33-year-old Gurpreet Hundal were arrested.

They are both charged with assault causing bodily harm, kidnapping with intent to hold for ransom, unlawful confinement, extortion and robbery. At Leader press time Tuesday, the two were scheduled for a bail hearing before a Surrey Provincial Court judge.

The father of the kidnapping victim owns a successful chain of furniture stores in Surrey, Coquitlam and Abbotsford.

An employee of the company said the family had no plans at present to comment on the incident, and asked that their names and the name of the company not be printed.

She said the daughter was working as an employee in one of her father’s stores.

The incident comes six months after Surrey RCMP took the unusual step of warning wealthy Indo-Canadians to take precautions against being kidnapped for ransom.

The detachment said “persons having money or the outward appearance of having money” should take steps to vary their routine and upgrade security systems at their businesses and residences by adding surveillance cameras.

In what police called a “developing trend,” they said thugs were beginning to go after people with no criminal records and no history of associating with unsavoury elements.

Investigators believe some victims have not informed police.

“We need those people to come forward,” Morrow said.

Details about the numbers of incidents and the size of ransom demands were not released.

Sonia Virk, president of the Surrey-based Indo-Canadian Business Association, said her group was not aware of any such incidents until the Friday kidnapping, but agreed some victims may be too afraid to come forward.

“If someone is being targeted, you need to contact police,” Virk said.

Anyone with information about a ransom kidnapping is asked to contact Surrey RCMP Major Crimes at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Surrey Leader