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Police find French boy abducted in Bali

Police said they have arrested an East Timorese woman who allegedly abducted a French toddler on the tourist island of Bali

The Jakarta Post
Denpasar, Bali
Mon, June 17, 2013

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Police find French boy abducted in Bali

Police said they have arrested an East Timorese woman who allegedly abducted a French toddler on the tourist island of Bali.

The woman was arrested at her rented house on Thursday, a day after she allegedly abducted the 2-year-old boy from a hotel room while his father was sleeping, Kuta police chief Maj. Agus Tri Waluyo said Friday.

The suspect, Joaninha Maria Sonia Gonzales, 33, told authorities she wanted to care for the child after returning to the hotel with the boy's father from a bar where they met, Waluyo said. He said police are also investigating other motives, including possible human trafficking. Gonzales was previously convicted of stealing foreigners' property, he said.

The boy was found unharmed with Gonzales' East Timorese boyfriend, who is also being questioned, Waluyo said.

The father and child were on a holiday in Bali from the French island of Reunion.

Kidnappings involving foreigners are extremely rare in Bali, a popular tourist destination.

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