Baalbek Hit by Three Kidnap Operations in Single Night

The Bekaa city of Baalbek witnessed three kidnappings on Wednesday evening, which targeted a Syrian man, a Syrian girl and a Lebanese pharmaceutical salesman.

“Unknown gunmen in a tinted-glass SUV abducted Charbel Khairallah, a pharmaceutical salesman, robbing him of his silver Kia Picanto vehicle,” state-run National News Agency reported.

The kidnappers later dropped Khairallah at the intersection of the the town of Majdaloun, south of the city of Baalbek, after which the man reported the operation to the Baalbek police station, NNA said.

Meanwhile, the agency said a Mercedes carrying two women picked up Syrian national Zahra Ahmed al-Hajj Ali and her toddler daughter Rawaa Mohammed Qobti from Baalbek after she finished her beggary activities in the city.

At the entrance of the town Iaat, “one of the women gave the mother 10,000 Lebanese pounds to buy candies for the child from one of the shops.”

“When the mother left the car, the two women took the child to an unknown destination,” NNA said.

The mother also filed a report at the Baalbek police station.

Separately, unknown individuals abducted Syrian man Fahd Mohammed al-Masri on Baalbek's public road and asked his relatives over the phone for a $200,000 ransom, according to NNA.