Najaf police free Diwaniyah woman held 15 days in kidnapping case

NAJAF — Police in Najaf governorate said Monday they freed a woman from Diwaniyah who had been kidnapped for 15 days, following an intelligence-led operation carried out in Kufa district.

In a statement, the Najaf Police Command said the operation was conducted “under the direct supervision of the commander of Najaf Police, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Jaber Dhiab al-Fatlawi, and with follow-up by the director of Kufa district police, Brig. Gen. Adi Sahib Kazem,” in cooperation with the Falcon Intelligence Cell.

The statement said intelligence information was received indicating that “a citizen from Diwaniyah governorate had been kidnapped for a period of (15) days, with the possibility of her presence within Kufa district.”

Police said anti-crime units in Kufa immediately began procedures and, within 48 hours of receiving the information and after obtaining judicial approvals, searched suspects’ homes in Abbasiya subdistrict.

The operation resulted in “the liberation of the kidnapped woman in good health and the arrest of the suspects,” the statement said, adding that the suspects were detained under Article 421 of the Penal Code and referred to the Abbasiya investigative court to complete legal procedures before returning the woman to her family.