PREMIER LEAGUE
Parents of Luis Díaz kidnapped
The Liverpool and Colombia national team player’s parents were taken by armed kidnappers. His mother has been rescued.
The parents of footballer Luis Díaz, identified as Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda, were abducted in the town of Barrancas, La Guajira, Colombia, on Saturday, 28th October, just a day before Colombia’s regional elections. The mother of the footballer has now been rescued and is reportedly in a good state of health.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Pedro, confirmed on social media that Cilenis Maruland, had been rescued. Gustavo Gómez, journalist with Caracol Radio, reports that she is in a “good state of health.”
Parents of Luis Díaz kidnapped at a petrol station
As reported by W Radio, the parents of the Liverpool and Colombia National Team player were at a petrol station when they were accosted by armed criminals. Initial reports indicate that the special anti-kidnapping unit Gaula activated a lockdown operation in the region to locate both the relatives of Díaz and the perpetrators.
Demands for the safe return of the Luis Díaz’s parents
At the time of publication the player had not issued any statement on the matter. Meanwhile, Diala Wilches, the acting governor of La Guajira, condemned the kidnapping and demanded the immediate and safe return of the hostages. “I reject and condemn the kidnapping of Luis Díaz’s parents, Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda, in events that occurred in Barrancas today. I have instructed the authorities to immediately initiate rescue operations,” Wilches wrote on social media.
Investigation under way in Colombia
The Colombian National Attorney General’s Office also issued a statement, saying an investigation is currently underway to locate the Liverpool winger’s family. “From the moment the National Attorney General’s Office learned of the kidnapping of Colombian player Luis Díaz’s parents in the Barrancas area of La Guajira, a specialised team of prosecutors, along with members of the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI), and investigators from Gaula Police and Military, are urgently working to determine the whereabouts of these individuals, clarify the facts, and identify those responsible,” read the statement on their account on X, formerly known as Twitter.