Police said today they had recovered a 12-year-old Dutch boy who was seized six days ago near his house in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur city police chief Mohmad Salleh said Nayati Shamelin Moodliar was returned unharmed and reunited with his parents after an undetermined amount of money was paid to the kidnappers.

“The family decided to pay the ransom,” he said in a press briefing. “A special task force is investigating the kidnapping and those with information should contact us,” he said.

Mohmad said the kidnappers gave Nayati a mobile phone so he could call his parents after he was released at a rest area along a highway in Sungai Buloh in the outskirt of Kuala Lumpur this morning.

Mohmad added the kidnappers made a ransom demand to Nayati’s parents on Friday, the day he was kidnapped while walking to Mont’ Kiara International School, near his home in Kuala Lumpur, by two men who dragged him to a waiting black car, police said.

Mohmad said Nayati’s family paid the ransom yesterday somewhere in Cheras district in Kuala Lumpur.

The Moodliar family confirmed the child’s safe recovery but would not give details about the circumstances behind the release.

“We are delighted to tell you that Nayati is back home with us and, although it has obviously been a very traumatic time for him, he appears at this stage to be in good shape,” the Moodliar family said on a Facebook account set up to help recover the victim.

“We cannot begin to say how proud we are of him and the way that he has coped with the events of the past week,” they said.

“As we are sure you will understand, Nayati’s kidnapping is the subject of an ongoing investigation so we are unfortunately not at liberty to reveal any of the details of the case at this stage,” they added.

Nayati was seized on Friday while walking to Mont’ Kiara International School, near his home in Kuala Lumpur, by two men who dragged him to a waiting black car, police said.

Journalists had gathered at Nayati’s apartment block in Mont Kiara as the news broke, but his family members declined to be interviewed as they are scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the head of Mont Kiara International School, Walter C Morris, said he was happy to receive the news on Nayati and grateful to know that he was now in safe hands with his family.

“Thanks to the police for their good work. I would say that security at the school is strong and this is the first time that such an incident has happened here,” he said.

Nayati’s kidnapping generated a public outcry in Malaysia and abroad, with more than 20,000 people expressing their support for the victim’s family on the Facebook account set up to gather information to help find the abductee.

A Malaysian businessman and a Malaysia-based news portal had offered a reward totaling RM60,000 (US$20,000) for information that could lead to the quick and safe recovery of Nayati.

- Agencies