Kidnapings Brazil

Four heavily armed fugitives in south-central Brazil on Sunday released their three hostages, including two television reporters, and made a getaway in a plane provided by authorities, police said. According to authorities, the four traded their captives for an aircraft and pilot to end a three-day standoff with police on a highway near the town of Presidente Prudente, 635 miles southwest of Rio de Janeiro. They were armed with hand grenades, submachine guns, pistols and shotguns.

A man wanted for kidnapping the daughter of Brazilian TV baron Silvio Santos and killing two police officers broke into the 70-year-old magnate's mansion in Sao Paulo and held him hostage for seven hours before surrendering to police. Fernando Dutra Pinto gave himself up after negotiations involving his family, a judge and state Gov. Geraldo Alckmin, police said.

A $2.5-million ransom, reportedly paid for the release of a prominent Rio executive and friend of President Fernando Collor de Mello, focused attention here Friday on how lucrative an industry kidnaping has become in Brazil. The Thursday night release of Roberto Medina, 42, made banner headlines in morning papers, crowding news of the Iran earthquake--despite the fact that reports about kidnaping have become routine this year in Brazil.

Police in Rio de Janeiro arrested three suspected kidnappers and freed a hostage who had been chained to a tree for 16 days. Alexandre Heng Fai Tsang, 26, was found unharmed in Tijuca National Park near the city. Tsang, the grandson of a prominent restaurant owner, was kidnapped April 21. Police arrested three suspects Tuesday after raiding a house in a Rio shantytown. The suspects led officers to Tsang.

Three men kidnaped a pregnant woman in Rio de Janeiro, induced labor and stole her baby, police said. A police spokesman said Isabel da Silva Santos, 42, was kidnaped outside her in-law's home in Rio's poor North Zone, blindfolded and driven to a medical clinic. There her abductors used a drug to induce labor. Police said they believe the baby was taken by child traffickers, who reportedly sell Brazilian children overseas.

Hundreds of Brazilians in the town of Curitiba gave a hero's welcome to a 2-year-old girl who was kidnaped as a baby and put up for adoption in Israel. The toddler, named Bruna, was taken from her home in 1986 by a woman posing as a baby-sitter. The 4-month-old was then adopted by an Israeli couple, who later said they had no idea she had been abducted. Two weeks ago, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the girl returned to her natural parents, Rosilda Goncalves and Luis Vasconcelos.

Police in Rio de Janeiro arrested three suspected kidnappers and freed a hostage who had been chained to a tree for 16 days. Alexandre Heng Fai Tsang, 26, was found unharmed in Tijuca National Park near the city. Tsang, the grandson of a prominent restaurant owner, was kidnapped April 21. Police arrested three suspects Tuesday after raiding a house in a Rio shantytown. The suspects led officers to Tsang.

A 17-year-old Australian girl and a Brazilian youth were allegedly shot dead after being kidnaped by police in Rio de Janeiro state, police said Saturday. Police in the town of Nova Friburgo, 90 miles northeast of Rio, said four officers have been charged in last week's slayings of Simone Amaral Cerqueira and her 18-year-old Brazilian friend, Disney Erwin Rodrigues. Rodrigues had apparently angered the officers by accusing them of extorting money from drug takers, his friends said.

Kidnapers have freed Brazilian businessman Luiz Salles, owner of an advertising agency, after receiving a ransom of $2.5 million, police said Thursday. Salles had been held for 65 days.

Brazil's federal police have broken up a plot by a Rio de Janeiro-based gang to kidnap two-time Formula One driving champion Ayrton Senna, officials said Saturday. The kidnapers planned to abduct Senna within the next month as he traveled the 93 miles from his summer home in the coastal resort of Angra dos Reis to Rio, federal police inspector Jorge Mario Gomes said.

Three men kidnaped a pregnant woman in Rio de Janeiro, induced labor and stole her baby, police said. A police spokesman said Isabel da Silva Santos, 42, was kidnaped outside her in-law's home in Rio's poor North Zone, blindfolded and driven to a medical clinic. There her abductors used a drug to induce labor. Police said they believe the baby was taken by child traffickers, who reportedly sell Brazilian children overseas.

Brazil's federal police have broken up a plot by a Rio de Janeiro-based gang to kidnap two-time Formula One driving champion Ayrton Senna, officials said Saturday. The kidnapers planned to abduct Senna within the next month as he traveled the 93 miles from his summer home in the coastal resort of Angra dos Reis to Rio, federal police inspector Jorge Mario Gomes said.

A $2.5-million ransom, reportedly paid for the release of a prominent Rio executive and friend of President Fernando Collor de Mello, focused attention here Friday on how lucrative an industry kidnaping has become in Brazil. The Thursday night release of Roberto Medina, 42, made banner headlines in morning papers, crowding news of the Iran earthquake--despite the fact that reports about kidnaping have become routine this year in Brazil.

Kidnapers have freed Brazilian businessman Luiz Salles, owner of an advertising agency, after receiving a ransom of $2.5 million, police said Thursday. Salles had been held for 65 days.

Four heavily armed fugitives in south-central Brazil on Sunday released their three hostages, including two television reporters, and made a getaway in a plane provided by authorities, police said. According to authorities, the four traded their captives for an aircraft and pilot to end a three-day standoff with police on a highway near the town of Presidente Prudente, 635 miles southwest of Rio de Janeiro. They were armed with hand grenades, submachine guns, pistols and shotguns.

A 17-year-old Australian girl and a Brazilian youth were allegedly shot dead after being kidnaped by police in Rio de Janeiro state, police said Saturday. Police in the town of Nova Friburgo, 90 miles northeast of Rio, said four officers have been charged in last week's slayings of Simone Amaral Cerqueira and her 18-year-old Brazilian friend, Disney Erwin Rodrigues. Rodrigues had apparently angered the officers by accusing them of extorting money from drug takers, his friends said.

A man wanted for kidnapping the daughter of Brazilian TV baron Silvio Santos and killing two police officers broke into the 70-year-old magnate's mansion in Sao Paulo and held him hostage for seven hours before surrendering to police. Fernando Dutra Pinto gave himself up after negotiations involving his family, a judge and state Gov. Geraldo Alckmin, police said.

Hundreds of Brazilians in the town of Curitiba gave a hero's welcome to a 2-year-old girl who was kidnaped as a baby and put up for adoption in Israel. The toddler, named Bruna, was taken from her home in 1986 by a woman posing as a baby-sitter. The 4-month-old was then adopted by an Israeli couple, who later said they had no idea she had been abducted. Two weeks ago, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the girl returned to her natural parents, Rosilda Goncalves and Luis Vasconcelos.