Police say kidnappers demand ransom for Italian seized in Dominican Republic tourist community

Italian man kidnapped in Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Police in the Dominican Republic say kidnappers have seized an Italian citizen and are holding him for ransom.

Police spokesman Nelson Rosario says the kidnappers are demanding $1.5 million for the release of Federico Dalmasso.

The spokesman said Friday that the victim was abducted Wednesday night as he arrived at his home in the Boca Chica tourist community 20 miles (35 kilometers) east of the Caribbean nation’s capital, Santo Domingo.

Police say a special anti-kidnapping unit has been raiding several neighborhoods in hopes of locating the Italian.

The 36-year-old Dalmasso is married to a Dominican woman and owns a restaurant in Boca Chica, a beach district that is home to a large Italian community.