Colombian minister condemns kidnapping of 11-year-old girl

The girl was abducted Thursday by unknown persons after she left school in the city of Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander province on the Venezuelan border, where the minister went Thursday night to head a Security Council meeting that went on until dawn Friday.

"Any kidnapping in Colombia deserves our condemnation, our rejection, but even more so the kidnapping of a minor like Daniela. It is unacceptable and we demand that the kidnappers guarantee the life and safety of Daniela and that they return her to her family immediately," Cristo said on Caracol Radio.

The minister, who is the immediate superior of the girl's father, added that the kidnapping of the girl is a crime that "disturbs all Colombians."

According to the authorities, the girl was abducted by unknown persons who intercepted the car that was taking her home and left the driver stranded outside the city.

Cristo, who is also a Cucuta native, did not indicate any possible suspects in the case and regretted that such a crime has again been committed in a city where there have been no abductions in more than a year.

"Up to now we cannot affirm or discard any hypotheses. These were certainly common criminals, but at present we are unable to reach any conclusions," he said.

The UNP, directed by the girl's father, is an agency of the Interior Ministry dedicated to providing security for high officials and threatened citizens like journalists, defenders of human rights and land claimants.

Daniela's father has headed the UNP since last January and, according to local media, had recently uncovered cases of corruption in the unit, such as the use of vehicles assigned for the protection of citizens to transport contraband gasoline from Venezuela.

The minister added that the operations rolled out by the authorities to find the minor are being done with "prudence and caution" because the priority is "to preserve Daniela's life and safety."

The chief of police, Gen. Rodolfo Palomino, said Friday that search operations are being handled by Gaula, the unit specialized in the fight against kidnapping and extortion.

"There's nothing that could be more condemned by everyone than the kidnapping of a minor," the police chief said, while asking the kidnappers to free the girl.

According to Palomino, the kidnappers "must be aware not only of the institutional reaction but also of the enormous social repudiation" that this abduction has inspired, and for which he also asked citizens to provide any information that might serve to free the girl.